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REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.  D.  D. 


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THE  LIBRARY  OF 


PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


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THE 


^N-v  4   1937  ^ 


HASTINGS  BIETHDAY  BOOK. 


SELECTIONS   FROM    THE    ^VRITIXGS    OF 

H.    L.    HASTINGS, 

Editor  of  "  The    Christian." 


COMPILED    BY   J.  IT.   T. 


BOSTON : 

SrKlPTURAL    TRACT    REPOSITORY. 
47    CORNHILL. 


Copyright,  1884. 

BY  THE 

SCRIPTURAL  TRACT  REPOSITORY, 

BOSTOX,  MASS. 


Repository  Press,  41*  Corxhill. 


PREFACE. 

• 

This  little  book  has  been  compiled  with  the  hope 
that  on  whatever  page  one  may  look,  or  in  which- 
ever space  he  may  write,  he  may  not  fail  to  find 
some  word  of  wisdom,  encouragement,  or  hope 
which  may  be  to  him  an  inspiration  to  stronger 
faith  and  nobler  deeds. 

Birthdays  of  famous  men  and  women,  and  of 
some  less  noted  but  perhaps  equally  worthy  of 
note,  will  be  found  under  their  respective  dates. 

It  is  hoped  that  whatever  was  worthy  of  imitation 
in  them  may  prompt  a  hearty  endeavor  on  the  part 
of  all  who  wTite  their  names  in  such  good  company 
to  emulate  their  virtues,  while  avoiding  their  mis- 
takes. 

"  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  ns 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And,  departing,  leave  behind  us, 
Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time. 

Footprints  that  perhaps  another, 
Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 
A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother, 
Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again.*' 


A  New  Year. 

Another  year  upon  the  world  is  dawning, 
The  flitting  sliadows  flush  with  ruddy  gleam: 

Along  the  hill-tops  breaks  the  light  of  morning, 
Above  the  silent  hosts  who  sleep  and  dream. 

Another  year !     Hope  hails  it  from  the  mountain, 
And,  tip-toe,  waits  into  its  light  to  peer; 

While  silent  Sorrow,  by  her  lonely  fountain, 

Shudders  and  shrinks  with  sad  and  nameless  fear. 

Another  year !     Who  knows  its  changeful  measure  ? 

What  phantom  shapes  throughout  its  realms  arise  ? 
Who  can  forsee  its  mingled  woe  and  pleasure, 

Its  sunny  glories  and  its  shadowed  skies. 

Another  year  !     Ah,  boast  not  of  to-morrow, 
Who  can  foreknow  the  changes  of  his  way  ? 

Rejoice  with  fear,  yet  sink  not  down  in  sorrow; 
Sufficient  is  the  evil  of  to-day. 

"Another  year !''   Who  knows  ?  Who  dares  to  say  it ? 

All  years  and  days  in  God's  great  purpose  dwell ; 
List  to  his  counsel,  heed  it,  and  obey  it, 

And  as  he  gives  each  moment,  use  it  well. 

Walk  calmly  on,  on  His  great  love  depending, 
Bold  and  yet  humble,  cautious  without  fear: 

Then,  when  all  earthly  days  and  years  are  ending. 
Thine  shall  be  God's  great,  happy,  glad  New  Year. 


January  1. 
The  beginuiDg  of  a  new  year  is  a  favorite 
time  for  making  new  promises,  vows,  and  reso- 
lutions, which  are  usually  broken  or  forgotten. 
Such  promises  amount  to  but  little.  The  Lord 
does  not  ask  us  to  promise^  resolve,  covenant, 
and  agree  to  obey  him  for  months  to  come ; 
but  he  asks  us  to  obey  him  to-day^  and  trust  him 
*^who  is  able  to  keep  us  from  fallingy'  for 
strength  in  the  future.  One  of  God's  prom- 
ises is  worth  ten  thousand  of  man's.  If  we  make 
fewer  promises,  and  trust  more  in  the  promises 
God  has  made,  we  shall  find  more  of  blessing 
and  less  of  disappointment  and  failure. 

January  2. 
To-day  is  not  your  lest  time  to  seek  salva- 
tion ; — that  time  has  forever  passed.  It  is  not 
the  best  time  you  ever  liave  seen;  but  it  is  the 
best  time  that  you  ever  will  see.  And  to-day  is 
God's  time, — his  appointed,  chosen,  precious 
hour  of  grace.  You  have  his  w  arrant,  his  com- 
mand, his  special  invitation  to  come  to-day,  and 
find  eternal  life.  Do  not  neglect,  nor  despise, 
nor  refuse  the  gracious  call.  *' To-day,  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts. '^ 
AVhen  the  judgment  trumpet  sounds,  men  will 
decide  quickly — but  they  will  decide  too  late ! 


January  1. 

riiilili  Schatf,  1819.        Maria  Ed^^eworth,  1767. 
Kdmuad  Burke,  17clO. 


January  2. 

Geueral  James  Wolfe,  1727. 


Titns  I/ivliis   historian,  <lie(l,  18. 


January  3. 
My  mole-eyed  friend  talks  much  of  the  self- 
contradictions  of  the  Bible, — every  seeming 
variation  being  magnified  and  distorted  by  prej- 
udice and  hate.  What  if  two  statements  of 
truth  do  stand  in  opposition  to  each  other?  So 
do  the  rafters  of  a  house,  or  the  stones  of  an 
arch,  and  if  one  was  not  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  other,  both  of  them  would  tumble  in 
the  dust,  and  the  costly  structure  would  be  a 
miserable  ruin.  There  are  two  sides  to  every 
question.  Most  men  can  only  see  one  side. 
The  Lord  can  see  both. 

January   4. 

Timeliness  is  as  important  as  fitness.  The 
right  thing  may  become  wrong  unless  it  is  in 
the  right  time.  Look  well  to  the  time  of  doing 
anything ;  there  is  a  time  for  all  things.  Choose 
the  right  time  for  saying  things.  If  your  wife 
looks  wearied  and  worn  out,  be  sure  it  is  not 
the  right  time  to  tell  her  that  the  dinner  is  not 
hot,  or  that  the  bread  is  sour. 


January  3. 

Lucretia  Mott,  1793.        Marcus  Tullius  Cicero,  B.C.  lOG. 


January  4. 

Archbishop  Usher,  1580. 


January   5. 

It  is  one  of  the  severest  tests  of  friendship  to 
tell  a  man  of  his  faults.  If  you  are  angry  with 
a  man,  it  is  not  hard  to  go  to  him  and  stab  him 
with  words,  stinging  his  s'oul  to  madness,  or 
disgracing  him  in  the  presence  of  his  foes ;  but 
so  to  love  a  man  that  you  cannot  bear  to  see  the 
stain  of  sin  upon  Mm,  and  to  go  to  him  alone 
and  speak  painful  truths  in  touching,  tender 
words — that  is  friendship,  and  a  friendship  as 
rare  as  it  is  precious. 


January   6. 

Have  the  courage  to  stand  for  God,  even  if 
you  have  to  stand  alone.  Have  the  courage  to 
say  nothing  when  you  have  nothing  to  say. 
Have  the  courage  to  remain  "on  the  fence "  as 
long  as  the  mud  is  knee  deep  on  both  sides. 
Have  the  courage  of  two  evils  to  choose  the 
least,  but  of  two  wrongs  to  choose  neither. 
Have  the  courage  to  believe  in  God  with  all 
your  heart,  and  to  own  his  name  everywhere. 


January  5. 


Edward  the  Confessor,  died,  1066. 

January  6. 

Charles  Sumner,  1811.        Joan  of  Arc,  1412. 


January  7, 

Take  courage,  poor,  doubting,  trembling 
heart.  Vexed  and  tormented  by  Satan,  you 
have  this  comfort,  — you  are  not  on  Ms  side  any- 
way. And  all  your  conflicts  and  tribulations 
of  soul  prove  that  the  dead  calm  of  sin  is 
broken,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  moving 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters,  and  that  God,  who 
commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
hath  shined  in  your  heart,  to  give  you  the  light 
of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ. 


January  8. 

Take  time  to  pray,  and  do  it  before  other 
things  have  taken  up  the  time.  If  the  choice 
be  between  prayer  and  breakfast,  consider 
whether  prayerful  fasting  be  not  more  profitable 
than  prayerless  feasting.  Job  said,  "I  have 
esteemed  the  words  of  his  mouth,  more  than  my 
necessary  food."  No  Christian  can  prosper 
without  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer.  It  is 
the  weak  man's  refuge,  and  the  strong  man's 
strength. 


January  7. 

Robert  Nicol,  poet,  1814. 


January  8. 

LoTNell  Mason,  1792, 


January  9. 

Resist  the  begiimiiig  of  evil.  We  make  the 
great  mistake  when  we  imagine  that  sin  is  going 
too  far  in  a  wrong  direction.  Going  at  all  is 
sin.  Starting  is  sin.  Desiring  to  start  is  sin. 
Trifling  with  sin  is  sin.  Sporting  with  tempta- 
tion is  sin.  Sin  has  its  throne  in  the  heart. 
Out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts,  evil 
Avords,  and  evil  deeds.  Therefore  '^Keep  thy 
heart  with  all  dilio^ence.'' 


January  10. 

How  precious  is  the  gift  of  song !  It  has  told 
in  wailing  minors,  or  in  exultant  tones,  the 
story  of  man's  deepest  sorrows  and  highest 
joys,  through  all  the  ages  past.  It  has  been 
the  bright  consummate  flower  of  human  devo- 
tion, the  highest  type  of  creature  worship.  In 
this  world,  men  w^eep  and  pray.  In  the  world 
to  come  they  only  sing.  And  when  this  world 
of  tears  and  toils  and  conflicts  shall  have 
passed,  when  preaching  and  prayer  and  ex- 
hortation and  entreaty  are  over,  the  voice  of 
song  shall  still  yet  rise,  joyous,  rapturous,  and 
eternal,  before  the  throne  of  glory. 

lO 


January  9. 


January  10. 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  1822. 


January  11. 

Of  all  em2)ty  people,  there  are  few  more  piti- 
able than  those  who  are  filled  with  self.  Who 
has  not  seen  persons  who  seemed  to  know  noth- 
ing but  self,  and  whose  first  ambition  on  meet- 
ing strangers,  seemed  to  be  to  inform  others 
where  they  had  been,  what  they  had  done,  and 
how  much  they  knew?  Good  old  John  Bunyan 
tells  us  of  a  man  named  Ignorance  who  came 
**from  the  country  of  Conceit;"  and  surely  this 
country  has  furnished  a  very  large  emigration 
of  self-filled  e^'otists. 


January  12. 

The  slow,  modest,  moderate,  compact,  mus- 
cular growth  of  the  healthy  body,  is  the  type 
of  true  Christian  life,  nourished  by  love,  and 
faith,  and  truth,  and  increasing  slowly  and 
surely  in  every  grace  of  the  Spirit.  Be  this  our 
growth ;  substance,  not  show ;  reality,  not  pre- 
tense; building  up  in  holy  faith,  rather  than 
puffing  up  by  mere  worldly  knowledge. 


January  11. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  1757. 


January  12. 


January  13. 

Begin  each  day  with  God.  Take  his  word 
as  a  daily  portion,  before  newspapers,  sensa- 
tional telegrams,  and  lying  vanities  have  ab- 
sorbed your  heart  and  mind.  A  daily  diet  of 
love-stories,  war-stories,  strifes,  political  dis- 
sensions and  disputes,  leaves  the  child  of  God 
with  an  empty  heart  and  a  lean  soul.  Nor  can 
religious  sensationalism,  and  flowers  of  elo- 
quence and  rhetoric  sustain  a  Christian  life; 
these  are  but  husks  for  the  hungry ;  only  God's 
word  can  refresh  and  sustain  his  little  ones. 
Let  God  have  the  first  word  with  us  in  the 
morning,  and  the  last  word  with  us  at  night. 

January  14. 

Of  all  the  people  in  the  world  Christians 
should  cultivate  cleanliness  and  decency. 
That  woman  was  not  far  wTong  who  thought 
it  a  burning  shame  that  her  husband  should 
allow  his  back  yard  to  look  as  it  did,  ' '  and  lie 
a  professor  of  religion  too!''''  Wreck,  ruin,  filth 
and  confusion,  may  appropriately  surround  the 
dwellings  of  the  drunkard  or  the  sluggard,  but 
a  Christian  is  bound  by  the  laws  of  decency  and 
order  as  well  as  devotion  and  piety. 


January  13. 

John  P.  Crozer,  1793. 


Dr.  James  Macknight,  died,  1800. 

January  14. 


Dr.  John  Boyse,  died,  1043. 
15 


January  15.    . 

The  peasant  can  raise  corn,  even  if  he  cannot 
explain  the  philosophy  and  mystery  of  its 
growth.  No  man  thinks  of  starving  to  death 
because  he  does  not  understand  all  the  processes 
of  digestion.  And  no  person  need  wait  for  the 
solution  of  every  mystery,  before  he  performs 
the  duties  which  God  has  plainly  set  before  him. 
Though  the  light  of  the  Divine  word  may  not 
fully  reveal  to  us  every  secret  of  the  present  or 
the  future,  yet  that  word  is  a  lantern  to  our 
feet  and  a  light  to  our  path,  giving  light  just 
where  we  need  it  to  perform  the  duties  of  the 
present  hour. 

January  16. 

Much  of  life  is  wasted  from  lack  of  calcula- 
tion, and  from  not  knowing  what  to  do  next. 
It  is  wise  so  to  arrange  matters  that  every  hour 
shall  have  its  employment  or  pursuit ;  so  that 
when  one  work  is  done,  our  hands  shall  readily 
find  something  else  to  do. 


January  15. 

Dr.  Samuel  Parr,  1747.        Dr.  John  Aikiu,  biographer,    1747 


January  16. 

Richard  Savage,  poet,  1697. 


Edmund  Spenser,  died,  1599. 
17 


January  17. 

Christ's  precepts  and  practice  coincided.  His 
teaching  was  faultless  and  his  life  was  perfect. 
The  Pharisees  gave  good  counsel  and  lived  bad 
lives.  They  told  others  what  to  do,  but  would 
not  do  the  same  themselves.  This  was  the  crime 
of  which  Jesus  often  accused  them;  but  of 
which  he  himself  was  never  guilty.  His  teach- 
ing and  his  life  went  hand  in  hand.  Christ 
never  told  a  man  to  do  what  he  was  unwilling 
to  do  himself.  He  never  said,  *^Go;"  it  was 
always,  ''Come." 


January  18. 

There  are  some  things  that  7ntist  he  done.  The 
sooner  we  do  them  the  better.  The  longer  we 
wait,  the  heavier  the  burden  grows,  and  the 
harder  the  work  seems  to  be.  There  is  a  time 
for  all  things ;  and  things  are  more  easily  done 
at  the  right  time  than  at  any  other  time.  We 
conquer  in  the  fight  of  faith  by  instant  obedi- 
ence. Delay  is  disobedience,  and  disobedience 
ends  in  death. 


January   17. 

Beiijamiu  Fiaukiiu,  170C.        Archibald  Bower,  lii.stoiiaii,  IGiiG. 


January  18. 

Daniel  Webster,  1782.        Dr.  John  Gillies,  1747. 
Charles  de  Secondat,  Baron  de  Montesquieu,  jurist,  1685). 


January  19. 

It  is  not  the  i^lanting  nor  the  hoeing,  the 
pruning  nor  the  j^raising,  that  makes  the  grape- 
vine different  from  the  thorn-bush.  And  the 
man  who  turns  his  grapes  out  of  the  yard  and 
plants  thistles  in  his  richest  ground  will  find 
that  the  nature  of  each  is  unchanged. 

True,  you  might  hang  grapes  on  a  thorn-bush 
or  tie  figs  on  a  thistle-stalk,  and  so  you  might 
teach  a  selfish  or  ungodly  man  to  do  some 
kindly  acts;  but  you  have  not  changed  the 
root  of  the  plant,  nor  renewed  the  heart  of  the 
man.     "Ye  must  be  born  ao^ain." 


January   20. 

Excellence  is  but  the  fruit  of  well-directed 
and  patient  toil.  We  make  haste  to  perfection 
and  fail.  We  cannot  bear  the  dull  detail  of 
elementary  drill.  The  boy  skips  his  si^elling 
lesson  for  something  more  important,  and  is 
ignorant  all  his  life.  The  apprentice  slights  his 
rough  jobs,  and  longs  for  nicer  work,  and  is  a 
bungler  as  long  as  he  lives.  The  soldier,  shrink- 
ing from  the  drudgery  of  thorough  discipline, 
comes  to  the  day  of  conflict  to  meet  an  inglo- 
rious defeat. 

20 


January  19. 

James  Watt,  1736. 


January  20. 

^'athanael  P.  Willis,  1807. 


21 


January  21. 

Bloat  and  growth  are  very  different  matters, 
though  people  often  confound  the  two.  Knowl- 
edge puffeth  up,  making  men  big  and  empty; 
love  buildeth  up,  in  slow  but  solid  progression. 
It  is  easier  to  inflate  a  balloon  than  to  build 
a  house ;  but  the  house  lasts  longer.  A  man's 
hands  or  feet  may  sicell  more  in  a  week  than 
they  would  grow  in  a  century, — but  it  is  a 
token  of  death  rather  than  growth.  So  they 
who  allure  through  ^' great  swelling  words  of 
vanity"  may  show  large,  but  they  count  small; 
they  measure  big,  but  weigh  little. 

January  22. 

The  price  of  a  virtuous  woman  ''is  above 
rubies;"  but  she  is  not  apt  to  fetch  it  if  she  is 
forced  on  the  market.  Let  girls  learn  how  to 
make  bread  and  keep  house,  and  not  dress 
themselves  so  closely  that  they  will  fade  out 
and  turn  sour  before  they  get  their  growth,  and 
they  can  afford  to  wait  till  flirts  and  fools  have 
made  their  market  and  died  off,  assured  that 
some  one  will  come  along  who  knows  a  good 
thing  when  he  sees  it,  and  who  will  give  the 
highest  price  for  an  article  that  has  not  been 
offered  to  every  buyer. 


January  21. 

Thomas  J.  (  "  Stonewall"  )  Jacksou,  1824. 


January  22. 

Lord  Bacou,  1561.        Governor  Wintlirop,  1588. 


23 


January  23. 

The  Wise  Man  says,  "Withhold  not  good 
from  them  to  whom  it  is  due^  iclien  it  is  in  the 
fower  of  thine  hand  to  do  it^  How  many  per- 
sons there  are  who  have  involved  themselves  in 
most  serious  troul)le  by  neglecting  to  obey  this 
l)recept.  They  were  indebted.  They  could 
have  paid,  they  neglected  the  opportunity; 
losses  and  calamities  came,  and  now  the}^  are 
crushed  and  dishonored,  and  must  walk  be- 
neath a  cloud  all  their  days.  There  are  duties 
which  press  upon  us  to-day.  Just  now,  just 
here,  God  calls  us  to  do,  while  it  is  in  our  power^ 
the  work  which  he  has  commanded. 

January  24. 

The  great  trouble  with  many  persons  is  that 
they  are  too  knowing  in  their  own  estimation. 
They  seem  to  know  too  much  for  one  man  and 
not  quite  enough  for  two.  There  are  appren- 
tices who  know  more  about  their  business  in 
six  weeks  than  their  masters  learned  in  six 
months.  They  cannot  be  taught,  and  conse- 
quently they  never  learn,  and  spend  their  lives 
as  botchers  and  bunglers,  working  for  half 
wages,  simply  because  they  were  too  knowing 
to  learn. 


January  23. 


January  24. 

John  Mason  Xeale,  1818         Frederick  the  Great>  1712. 
Charles  James  Fox,  1749. 


Kmg  S.  Hastings,  died,  1854. 
25 


January   25. 

An  idler  is  the  deviTs  apprentice,  and  it  will 
be  strange  if  he  does  not  soon  turn  him  out  a 
finished  workman.  A  man  who  is  too  lazy  to 
work  is  not  usually  too  holy  to  sin ;  and  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  who  has  too  much  dignity 
to  keep  himself  steadily  employed,  may  be 
expected  to  fall  into  some  snare  that  Satan  sets 
for  men  who  are  not  kept  busy.  There  is  noth- 
ing better  for  the  souls  and  bodies  of  ministers 
of  the  Gospel,  than  fervent  prayer,  faithful 
study  of  the  Bible,  devout  meditation,  and 
enough  good^  honesty  Iciborious  icorlc  to  keep 
them  from  useless  visiting,  idling  and  loafing. 

January  26. 

Keep  on  the  safe  side.  Be  sure  rather  than 
sorry.  Do  not  give  yourself  the  benefit  of 
every  doubt.  Be  lenient  to  others'  faults,  but 
strict  regarding  your  own.  If  there  be  an  act 
which  in  your  own  mind  is  doiibtful  or  question- 
able in  its  character,  take  the  course  of  wisdom 
and  of  prudence.  It  would  be  a  terrible  thing 
to  be  mistaken  in  the  final  day;  it  is  better  to 
be  sure  Tiere  than  to  be  sorry  at  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ. 


January  25. 

Robert  Burns,  1750. 


January  26. 

Joseph  Cook,  1838. 


January  27. 

If  persons  would  believe  that  it  is  as  diffi- 
cult to  make  a  good  poem  without  practice,  as 
it  is  to  make  a  good  pair  of  shoes,  what  quan- 
tities of  ill-assorted  rhymes  would  be  burned 
up  at  home,  instead  of  being  sent  to  fill  the 
waste  basket  of  some  poor  editor,  who  only 
requires  to  read  a  single  sentence  to  see  that  the 
writer  is  not  a  poet  and  is  never  likely  to  be. 
As  a  rule,  writing  poetry  is  like  preaching  the 
gospel;  no  one  should  undertake  it  if  he  can 
avoid  it  with  a  clear  conscience.  If  a  man  can- 
not help  preaching,  let  him  preach ;  if  he  can- 
not help  writing,  let  him  write ;  and  then  others 
will  decide  for  themselves  whether  his  talk  is 
worth  hearing,  or  his  writing  worth  reading. 

January  28. 

Trials  make  us  strong,  as  the  hurricane  sends 
more  deeply  into  tlie  earth  the  roots  of  trees 
which  withstand  its  power.  Trials  make  us 
patient  beneath  the  afflictions  and  conflicts 
of  this  world.  Trials  fit  us  for  present  service 
and  for  future  glory.  Let  us  thank  God  for 
such  instrumentalities,  and  "count  it  all  joy'' 
when  we  ''fall  into  divers  temptations." 


January  27. 

J..|.;.iin  Cliiv^ostoin  Wolf<;anrr  Gottlifl.  Mo/art,  17o»». 


January  28. 


i     Peter  the  Great,  died.  172".        Chailemasine,  died,  814. 

OQ 


January  29. 

8aid  Admiral  Farragut,  on  the  eve  o£  a  bat- 
tle, when  enquired  of  concerning  his  prepara- 
tions for  defeat:  "As  to  being  prepared  for 
(lefeaU  I  am  certainly  not,  and  the  man  who  i< 
prepared  for  defeat  will  be  one  lialf  defeated  h- 
fore  he  commences.  I  am  prepared  for  success, 
and  shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  secm*e  it,  and 
trust  to  God  for  the  rest."  3Iany  persons,  while 
professedly  serving  the  Lord,  take  great  pains 
to  keep  a  line  of  retreat  open,  by  which  they 
can  turn  back  to  the  world  without  involvini: 
themselves  in  any. reproach  or  disgrace.  They 
are  prepared  for  defeat,  and  are  quite  sure  to 
be  defeated. 

Maws  stronghold  is  his  integrity;  and  thi- 
fortress  can  never  be  successfully  assailed  from 
without  unless  there  is  treachery  within.  You 
can  hold  this  fort  against  all  assailants.  No 
one  but  yourself  can  make  you  dishonest;  no 
one  but  yourself  can  rob  you  of  your  integrity, 
or  debase  you  by  fraud  and  trickery  and  vil- 
lainy. Men  may  suspect  you,  slander  you,  and 
lie  about  you,  but  they  cannot  make  you  guilty 
of  the  things  which  they  lay  to  your  charge. 


January  29. 

.lohn  K viand.  1753.         Emauuel  Swedenborj;,  1688  'J. 


January  30. 

Samuel  Pri.leaux  TieLrellcs,  1813.         Charles  Uullin,  IHGl. 


31 


January    31. 

A  man  who,  during  the  great  American  con- 
liict,  had  been  hiding  in  the  mountains  to  avoid 
conscription,  at  last  ventured  down  to  a  sea- 
port to  learn  how  the  strife  progressed.  To  his 
surprise  he  found  that  the  war  had  ended  long- 
before,  and  that  peace  and  amnesty  had  been 
proclaimed.  Just  so  there  are  now  sinners  and 
doubters  w4io  are  lurking  and  skulking  in  the 
bogs  of  sorrow,  and  in  the  sloughs  of  despond- 
ency, and  in  the  thickets  of  unbelief,  who 
have  never  heard  the  word  that  God  hath  sent. 
"Preaching  pectce  by  Jesus  Christ,— he  is  Lord 
of  all.''  They  act  as  if  they  had  never  heard 
that  the  angels  sung,  ' '  On  earth  peace,  good 
will  toward  men,"  above  the  plains  of  Bethle- 
hem. And  so  they  are  trying  to  do  something, 
or  feel  something,  or  find  something  by  which 
to  malte  peace,  when  peace  was  made  long  ago 
through  the  blood  of  the  cross,  and  they  have 
only  to  accept  the  message,  submit  to  God  and 
be  saved. 


January  31. 

n.uM  Egede,  uiidjjiouary,  16bt).         Fiaiiz  Schubert,  171>7 


^y^^r 


Family  Hymn. 


Thou  wlio  hast  f'onut'd  the  family. 

And  there  thy  lonely  ones  didst  place; 
0  help  us  now  to  come  to  thee. 

To  l)less  thy  name  and  seek  thy  Wu-e. 

Dwell  thou  within  oui  home.  (>  Loi\l. 

Not  as  a  strange  or  transient  <rue.<t : 
But  sit  with  us  around  our  board. 

Speak  peace  to  us,  and  give  us  rest. 

Grant  that  our  low  ly  home  may  be 
A  resting-place  for  thee  and  thine  ; 

Like  Martha's  house  at  Bethany. 
A  place  of  prayer,  a  holy  shrine. 

Cumbered  with  serving,  may  thy  love 
Yet  make  our  very  labors  sweet ; 

And  may  rich  blessings  from  above 
Fall  while  we  sit  at  Je>us'  feet. 

e  w  ith  us  in  our  festal  days, 
Atui  may  they  in  thy  love  be  kept; 

e  with  us  in  our  tearful  ways. 
For  it  is  written,  '".Tesus  wept.*' 

ount  us  in  thy  whole  family. 

Scattered  through  eartliand  heaven  above, 
ind  each  to  eadi,  and  all  to  thee. 

With  bands  of  everlasting  hue, 

Lo„.lo„,  I'vh.  10,  issj. 
35 


February   1. 

The  man  who  does  business  without  tak- 
ing account  of  stock,  and  who  thinks  that  a 
dollar  borrowed  is  the  same  as  a  dollar  earned, 
will  by-and-by  wake  up  with  the  consciousness 
that  he  has  consumed  his  capital,  and  used  up 
his  credit,  and  that  it  is  time  for  him  to  step 
down  and  give  place  to  others  better  fitted  for 
places  of  responsibility.  The  man  in  business 
should  know  where  he  stands,  and  what  he  is 
doing.  He  who  is  too  idle  to  ascertain,  or  too 
cowardly  to  know  the  facts,  is  unfitted  to  con- 
trol any  business. 

February  2. 

It  is  unpleasant  to  be  called  a  rogue, — it  is  far 
worse  to  he  one ;  it  is  hard  to  be  accused  as  a 
villain,  but  it  is  still  harder  to  know  that  the 
accusation  is  true ;  it  is  a  sad  thing  to  be  lied 
about  and  misrepresented,  but  it  is  sadder  still 
to  slander  and  misrepresent  another.  No  slan- 
der of  men  can  take  aw^ay  a  man's  knowledge 
of  the  integrity  of  his  own  character,  the 
purity  of  his  intentions,  and  the  devoutness  of 
his  own  life.  Nothing  but  our  own  sins  can 
rob  us  of  quietness  of  conscience  and  peace 
with  God. 


February  1. 

Tiberiua  Hemsterhuysi,  1(>85. 


February  2. 

Hiiiniali  ^loie,  1745. 


Giovanni  Pierlnigi  da  Palestriiia,  composer,  died,  1594, 
37 


February   3. 

Men  love  to  do  what  the}'  can  do  well.  And 
men  can  usually  do  well  those  things  which 
tliey  are  accustomed  to  do  continually.  A 
bright  needle  works  easily,  a  rusty  one  pulls 
hard.  Machinery  deteriorates  much  faster 
when  lying  idle  than  when  kept  in  regular  use. 
Any  man  who  does  onh^  one  hard  day's  work  in 
a  week,  will  naturally  suffer  much  exhaustion 
from  his  effort.  Let  him  work  regularly  six 
days  in  the  week,  and  he  will  do  six  days' work 
more  easily  than  he  could  accomplish  one. 


FelDPuary  4. 

Taking  man's  estimate  of  himself,  the  facts 
of  human  iniquity  and  ruin  are  inexplicable. 
Taking  God's  estimate  of  man,  all  is  plain. 
Then  instead  of  wondering  that  some  go  T\Tong. 
we  should  wonder  that  any  go  right ;  instead 
of  being  surprised  at  occasional  lapses  of  per- 
sons who  arc  striving  to  live  upright  lives,  we 
should  rather  be  surprised  at  the  divine  mercy 
that  keeps  men  from  falling,  and  that  brings 
back  the  wanderers  to  the  heavenlv  fold. 


February  3. 

Horace  (iieeley,  1811.  Frederick  \V.  Kol»eitsun.  181t  . 

Friedrich  Heinrich  Wilhelm  Gejieniu>,  1786. 

Jacob  Ludwijr  Felix  Mendelssohn-Bartholdy,  1800. 

Dr.  Eli^^ha  Kent  Kane,  1822. 


February  4. 

sir  Robert  Peel,  state&raaii,  llbS. 


39 


February  5. 

''Give,  aud  it  shall  be  given  unto  you.''  But 
what  shall  I  give?  Give  what  you  have  to  give. 
The  widow's  mite  outweighed  the  rich  man's 
wealth.  Give  to  the  hungry,  food,  and  to  the 
naked,  clothing;  give  comfort  to  the  sick  and 
consolation  to  the  sad ;  give  words  of  peace  to 
troubled  hearts,  and  cheerful  greetings  to  dis- 
tressed and  despondent  souls;  give  pardon  to 
those  who  do  you  wrong;  give  compassion  to 
those  whose  sins  and  sorrows  oppress  them; 
give  love,  not  only  to  friends,  but  to  foes;  and 
give  your  heart  to  Him  who  gave  himself  for 
you. 

February   6. 

The  ministry  of  pain  has  great  moral  uses. 
Our  days  of  pain  are  days  of  comparative 
safety.  It  is  true,  there  may  be  murmuring  and 
petulance  in  connection  with  pain :  but  our 
temptations  to  sin  usually  come  under  other 
circumstances.  It  is  when  we  are  in  health  and 
strength  and  vigor  that  we  are  led  into  paths  of 
iniquity  and  wrong-doing.  It  is  not  in  the 
dark  days  of  adversity  that  \V(;  yield  to  temp- 
tation and  go  astray  from  God;  but  it  is  on  our 
brightest  days  that  ^in  casts  its  deepest  shadows. 


February  5. 

Dn-1-ht  Lvrnan  Moody,  1837.         OW  Borm-mann  Bull,  ]810. 


February  6. 

Aii'lrf^vv  Fiillfr,  17o4. 


Dr.  Joseph  Prif-^tly,  <li^<1,   18<i4. 
41 


February  7. 
The  shield  of  sin  is  secrecy.  AVrong  seeks 
concealment.  The  doers  of  mischief  preface  or 
conclude  their  Avork  with,  "Don't  you  tell.*' 
From  the  mischievous  boys  who  plot  their  raids 
on  orchards  and  melon  patches,  to  the  stock 
speculators  who  engineer  their  ''corners"  and 
swindle  the  unwar\',  the  low  politicians  who 
plot  in  caucuses  and  defeat  honest  elections  by 
"counting  out,*'  and  the  pirates  who  redden  the 
seas  with  blood, — the  bond  of  secrecy  is  the  seal 
and  protection  under  which  mischief  and  vil- 
lainy is  concocted,  accomplished,  and  concealed. 

February  8. 
In  a  world  like  this,  there  is  something  besides 
sweetness  and  beauty.  There  are  awful  facts 
of  sin  and  wrath  and  judgment  which  concern 
mankind ;  and  we  have  something  to  do  besides 
listening  to  quaint  conceits,  beautiful  expres- 
sions, and  smoothly  drawn  sentences  which  have 
no  grip  on  the  conscience,  and  which  allow  men 
to  sleep  quietly  while  judgment  and  damnation 
are  hastening  on  their  track.  Think  of  a  man 
crying  *'FireI"  in  the  most  chaste  and  elegant 
forms  of  expression,  and  so  softly,  too,  that 
the  slumberers  sleep  on,  and  those  who  are 
awake  are  persuaded  that  there  is  no  danger ! 


February  7. 

Charles  Dicken.s,  18IL\ 


February  8. 

r.eo.  ]>ana  Boanlman,  Si.,  1801.    Gen.  Win.  T.  Slii^iTiian.  1S20. 


:Marv  Stnart.  Oueen  .)t'  Scots,  bolu-a<le<l.  IT)!^?. 
43 


FelDurary  9. 

Men  are  saved,  not  in  crowds  or  in  multi- 
tudes, but  as  individuals,  each  by  himself  alone. 
Men  talk  of  reaching  "the  masses,"  and  in  the 
thronging  multitudes  lose  sight  of  individuality 
and  personal  responsibility.  With  some,  in- 
dividual men  are  but  instruments,  which  have 
value  only  as  they  can  be  aggregated  in  parties, 
in  corporations,  in  armies,  in  associations, 
where  the  many  yield  their  influence  to  the  few, 
who  usurp  their  rights  and  control  their  actions. 
But  in  the  divine  mind  the  unit  is  the  impor- 
tant thing.  The  Great  Shepherd  seeks  the  one 
lost  sheep.  It  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father 
that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish. 

February  10. 

When  men  are  joined  to  their  idols  there  is 
nothing  to  be  done  but  to  let  them  alone;  and 
when  men  are  ruled  by  piejudice  instead  of 
righteousness,  and  by  will  instead  of  conscience, 
they  may  as  well  be  let  alone  to  find  their  own 
level,  develop  their  own  character,  and  expose 
themselves,  as  they  surely  will,  more  thor- 
oughly than  any  one  else  can  expose  them. 


February  9. 


February  10. 

Dr.  Hetiry  H.  Milman,  1701.         Charles  Laml.. 


February   11. 

However  Christians  may  contend  about  creeds, 
differ  about  doctrines,  and  divide  into  denomi- 
nations, they  agree  in  sacred  song ;  and  the  new 
song  which  God  has  put  into  the  mouth  of  his 
redeemed  children  who  sing  with  the  spirit 
and  the  understanding  also,  more  truly  ex- 
pounds the  living  faith  of  a  living  church,  than 
all  the  creeds  men  frame,  or  the  system  of 
divinity  about  which  they  divide  and  dispute. 


February  12. 

Christ's  orders  are  marching  orders.  The 
Captain  of  our  salvation  sends  forth  his  disci- 
ples and  messengers.  The  first  word  in  their 
commission  is  *'Go."  ''Go  ye  into  all  the 
w^orld  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 
It  is  first  ''go,-' and  tlien  "preach."  If  they 
do  not  "go"  as  commanded,  they  will  never  be 
able  to  fulfill  the  commission  that  w^as  given 
them.  We  find  nothing  in  the  Scripture  of 
w^aiting  for  people  to  come  and  hear  the  gospel, 
we  must  go  and  carrv  it  to  them. 


46 


February  11. 

Lydia  Maria  Child,  ISO'J. 
Karl  (rr)ttlipl»  Brotschneider,  tlicoloffian.  177 


February  12. 

Abraham  Linmlii.  1S(»!).         Cotton  ^rather,  1(503 


47 


^         Feloruary  13. 

Let  us  not  despise  the  day  of  small  things. 
•*You  have  preached  twenty  years,  and  have 
only  made  one  convert,*'  was  the  taunt  with 
which  a  man  assailed  a  servant  of  the  Lord. 
''Havel  converted  onef^^  asked  the  minister. 
"Yes,  there  is  such  an  one,  who  is  really  con- 
verted under  your  ministry."  "Then  here  is 
twenty  years  more  for  another,^'  said  the  man  of 
God,  and  all  eternity  would  endorse  the  wisdom 
of  the  utterance. 


February  14. 

The  men  to  be  depended  upon  in  this  world 
are  the  men  who  act  without  talking  and  blus- 
tering; who  make  few  promises  and  fewer 
threats,  but  who  stand  for  the  right  in  the  try- 
ing hour,  and  when  *' truth  is  fallen  in  the 
streets,''  are  ready  to  bow  down  beside  her,  and 
lift  her  up.  There  are  such  men,  humble, 
cautious,  unpretentious, — who  have  such  prin- 
ciples rooted  in  their  hearts,  that  neither  frowns 
nor  flatteries  can  turn  them  from  the  honest 
convictions  of  their  souls.  May  the  Lord  in- 
crease the  number  of  those  who  are  thus  "val- 
iant for  the  truth''  in  the  earth. 

48 


February  13. 

W.  C.  ^'ull  Meter,  missionary,  l^^lM). 


February  14. 


February  15. 

What  do  men  know  of  the  world's  infancy? 
As  much  as  a  cricket  knows  of  the  infancy  of 
the  oak  under-  whicli  it  chirps.  Who  can  tell 
what  uncounted  ages  may  have  swept  over  this 
globe  between  the  time  when  it  was  ' '  without 
form  and  void,"  and  the  time  when  God  said, 
' '  Let  there  be  light, ''  and  prepared  it  for  the 
abode  of  mankind.  The  world  may  be  in  its 
infancy  in  respect  to  the  divine  purpose,  but  it 
will  never  reach  its  maturity  until  He  who 
made  it  ''very  good"'  at  first,  shall  come  back 
to  remove  its  curse  and  enshroud  it  with  his 
blessing,  and  make  it  the  abode  of  righteous- 
ness and  peace  and  truth. 

February  16. 

How  much  better  it  is  in  an  honest,  manly 
way  to  say,  ''I  did  the  thing,  I  believe  it  was 
wrong,  I  am  sorry  for  it,"  than  it  is  to  go  wan- 
dering around  the  point  with  all  the  flexibility 
of  the  crooked  serpent,  excusing  what  we  can- 
not deny,  and  evading  what  we  are  unwilling 
to  confess,  till  our  moral  nature  is  corrupted, 
and  we  become  so  accustomed  to  deceptions 
and  misrepresentations  that  we  are  incapable  of 
telling  the  truth  a<  it  i^. 

50 


February  15. 

Jeremy  Beuthaiu,  1747-8. 


February  16. 

Dr.  Jauie>  Scott.  1747.         Henry  Wilson,  ISIJ 
Philip  Mehmctlion,  14i»7. 


February  17. 

It  is  a  waste  of  time  to  talk  to  a  blind  man, 
and  persuade  liim  to  see ;  it  is  a  waste  of  time 
to  talk  to  a  deaf  man  to  induce  him  to  hear ;  it 
is  a  waste  of  time  to  point  out  the  faults  of 
men  who  never  have  any  faults;  it  is  a  waste  of 
time  to  talk  about  correcting  wrongs  to  men 
who  alwayjg  do  right ;  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to 
argue  with  men  who  are  too  wise  to  be  in- 
structed, and  too  old  to  learn ;  it  is  a  waste  of 
time  to  attemjDt  to  secure  one's  rights  when 
every  attempt  to  secure  right  results  in  the  in- 
fliction of  greater  wrong,  and  when  every  at- 
tempt to  secure  justice  only  insures  still  greater 
injustice. 

February  18. 

He  who  accepts  position  and  authority,  must 
with  it  accept  the  responsibilities  which  attach 
to  its  exercise.  He  may  hesitate,  he  may  tem- 
porize, but  he  must  act,  and  bear  the  res2)on- 
sibility  of  his  deeds,  however  unwillingly  they 
may  have  been  done.  If  he  has  not  the  courage 
to  say  ''Xo/"  and  the  strength  to  stick  to  it, 
let  him  keep  out  of  positions  where  authority 
must  be  exercised  and  responsibility  incurred. 


February  17. 

Horace  Beu6dict  de  Saussure,  naturalist,  1740. 


Jean  Hnnri  Pestalozzi.  died,  1827. 

February  18. 

Heury  Marlyii,  iinssionar\ ,  1781.        Ualileo,  15154. 


Martin  Lutlai ,  dit^d.  1540. 
53 


February  19. 

A  wrong  confessed  can  be  forgiven,  but  a 
wrong  that  is  patched  and  plastered  over  with 
evasions  and  excuses,  only  excites  our  disgust 
and  contempt  for  the  man  who  will  not  see  his 
faults,  or  if  he  sees  them  will  not  own  them. 
Especially  is  this  true  when  men  make  great 
professions  of  righteousness  and  purity,  while 
at  the  same  time  they  are  guilty  of  acts  which 
a  decent  sinner  would  scorn  to  perform. 


February  20. 

AVhen  Christ  was  arraigned  in  the  presence 
of  his  enemies,  lie  kept  silence.  He  knew  that 
contradiction  was  of  no  avail,  that  innocence 
Avas  no  defense,  that  nothing  but  silence  would 
serve  liim  there.  80  the  man  who  is  subjected 
to  false  accusations  and  insinuations,  has  the 
right  to  choose  his  own  time  and  manner  of  de- 
fense. There  is  a  time  to  speak,  and  a  time  to 
keep  silence.  Happy  are  those  who  know  how 
to  discern  these  times. 


February  19. 

Nicholas  Copernicus,  147 


February  20, 


February  21. 

It  is  fearful  to  stand  and  watch  the  strong, 
the  loved,  the  noble,  as  they  sink  in  the  quick- 
sands of  intemperance ;  and  every  such  example 
teaches  us  the  solemn  lesson  that  the  only  safe 
position  is  upon  the  firm  and  solid  ground  of 
total  abstinence  from  all  that  can  intoxicate. 
If  the  man  who  takes  the  first  glass  could  see 
himself  as  he  will  he  lolien  he  takes  the  last  one^  he 
Avould  need  no  warning,  but  would  flee  from  tlie 
tempter  before  the  serpent  had  so  twined  itself 
about  liim  that  resistance  was  vain,  and  escape 
impossible. 

February  22. 

Our  estimates  of  times  and  seasons  partake 
of  our  own  frailty  and  imperfection.  Tliat 
which  God  pronounces  near  at  hand  might  yet 
seem  far  off  to  finite  mortals.  An  eagle's  es- 
timate of  distance  is  very  different  from  a 
snail's,  and  periods  which  seem  to  us  vast  and 
almost  illimitable,  are  but  the  dust  of  rolling 
ages  before  Him  of  whom  it  is  written:  ''A 
thousand  years  in  thy  sight  arc  but  as  yesterday 
when  it  is  ])ast,  and  as  a  watcli  in  the  night.'' 


February  21. 

Anne  Grant,  poete?*,  17" 


February   22. 

<;porcrf  Wa>;hineton,  1732.         Jnnifs  Ruspfll  Lowell,  If^lO. 


February  23. 

"Never  trade  horses,"  said  the  old  minister; 
'4f  you  want  to  buy  a  horse,  buy  it;  and  if 
you  want  to  get  rid  of  a  horse,  sell  it ;  but  do 
not  swap  horses."  *'A  horse  is  a  vain  thing  for 
safety;"  and  horse-trading  is  very  risky  busi- 
ness for  honest  men,  and  especially  for  minis- 
ters, to  engage  in.  The  "outs"  of  horses  are 
legion,  and  an  experienced  dealer  in  horse-flesh 
would,  "if  it  were  possible,  deceive  the  very 
elect ;"  and  in  our  opinion  it  sometimes  is  pos- 
sible; and  we  suspect  some  of  the  elect  are 
quite  as  likely  to  be  deceived  in  a  horse-trade 
as  the  non-elect. 

February  24. 

One  honest  confession  is  worth  a  dozen  plaus- 
ible excuses,  but  it  is  harder  to  get  one  confes- 
sion made  than  twenty  excuses.  Confessing 
faults  leads  to  forsaking  them.  Making  excuses 
often  leads  to  lying  to  hide  faults ;  and  the  road 
is  a  very  short  one  from  excuses  to  evasions, 
from  evasions  to  deceptions,  and  from  decep- 
tions to  downright  falsehoods. 


I 


February  23. 

John  H.  Vincent,  18.T-. 


February  24. 

George  William  Curtis,  1S24. 


Kul.ert  Fult«m.  .ilea,  1815. 
59 


February  25. 
There  are  many  persons  .who  suppose  them- 
selves to  be  full  of  courage,  when  in  fact  thry 
are  only  full  of  bluster.  They  talk  loud  and 
long  and  large,  and  boldly  tell  you  what  they 
will  do,  or  what  tliey  would  do ;  but  when  they 
come  to  act,  somehow  their  courage  seems  to 
vanish  into  thin  air.  They  propose  to  grapple 
with  wrongs,  to  denounce  evils,  to  root  out 
abuses,  and  to  revolutionize  things  generally; 
but  when  you  see  them  face  to  face  with  the 
evils  of  which  they  have  complained  and  the 
)nen  whom  they  have  denounced,  it  is  wonder- 
ful how  quiet  and  conservative  they  become. 

February  25. 
A  newspaper  once  contained  an  advertisement 
for  a  man  to  fill  a  certain  position,  which  con- 
cluded with,  ^'  yo  discouraged  men  lued  cfpiiilyS' 
This  was  worldly  wisdom,  for  a  discouraged 
man  counts  for  very  little  in  this  world's  battle; 
he  is  defeated  in  advance;  he  faints  in  the  day 
of  adversity;  he  falters  in  the  conflict ;  he  halts 
in  the  race;  he  weakens  beneath  the  burdens 
and  trials  of  active  life.  This  world  can  do 
very  little  for  discouraged  men.  Such  men 
need  the  help  of  a  Micrhtier  One.  and  they  can 
have  it  I 


February  25. 

John  P.  St.  John,  1833. 


February  26. 

Victor  Hu.rro,  1S02. 


February  27. 

AV'ords  spring  from  thoughts,  and  tend  to 
acts.  Vile  words  lead  to  vile  deeds.  They 
familiarize  the  mind  with  vice,  and  break  down 
the  barriers  of  purit3\  Modesty  is  a  safeguard 
against  sin ; — evil  words  effectually  destroy  it. 
A  dollar  broken  into  is  soon  spent,  and  a  pure 
purpose  once  polluted  by  sinful  words  soon 
melts  away.  Many  a  man  has  talked  himself 
into  sensuality,  crime,  and  ruin.  Intimacy 
with  evil  in  thoughts  and  words,  blinds  men  to 
the  vileness  of  iniquity,  and  prepares  them  for 
sinful  indulgence,  and  for  ruin  at  last. 

February  28. 

Have  your  vacations,  but  not  all  at  once. 
Leave  somebody  to  keep  ship.  Do  not  break 
up  the  camp,  nor  leave  the  fort  ungarrisoned. 
Take  your  vacations  a  few  at  a  time,  but  keep 
your  work  going.  Go  at  it  as  if  you  meant 
business.  Never  mind  what  upper-tendom  is 
doing  at  Newport  or  Saratoga.  Where  you  go 
preach  Christ,  and  remember  that  though  the 
Devil  works  harder  than  any  one  who  resists 
him,  he  never  take  any  vacations,  and  does  not 
seem  to  necjlect  his  work. 


February  27. 

Henry  W.  Longfellow.  1N>7. 


February  28. 

Mary  Lyon,  1797,  founder  of  Mt.  Holyoke  Seminary. 


February  29. 

The  best  demonstration  of  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity is  Christianity  itself,  exhibited,  prac- 
tised, and  manifested  to  all  men.  If  the  sun 
should  be  concealed  by  fogs  and  clouds  for 
many  years,  we  might  need  argument  to  prove 
its  existence.  The  literature  of  the  ages  would 
be  found  full  of  references  to  the  sun  and  its 
light,  yet  we  can  imagine  some  skeptic  people 
saying,  "What  do  I  care  for  your  old  musty 
parchments  and  books?  I  don't  read  such  trash. 
I  have  never  seen  the  sun,  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  there  is  one.*'  But  suppose  that  while 
men  are  arguing  and  quoting  history  and  draw- 
ing inferences  to  disprove  the  existence  of  the 
sun,  the  clouds  are  riven  and  flee  away,  and 
the  glory  of  the  morning  sun  pours  down  upon 
them !  What  need  is  there  then  of  further  argu- 
ment? So  let  the  Gospel  of  Christ  be  trans- 
lated into  flesh  and  blood,  into  the  daily  walk, 
and  work,  and  words  of  Christian  men,  and 
the  world  cannot  resist  the  evidence  of  the 
divine  mission  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


February  29. 

(rioucchiiio  Ru>»)«iiii,  couipo»er,  1702. 


Rex  Sanctorum. 

King  of  all  saints,  Sun  of  celestial  glory, 

Brightness  of  Him  whom  mortals  cannot  see  ; 

Humbly  we  worship  and  bow  down  before  Thee, 
Lifting  our  praises  and  our  thanks  to  Thee. 

All  heaven  and  earth  are  blazing  with  thy  splendor; 
'  Systems  and  suns  thy  glory  sing  and  shine; 
We,  too,  our  sacrifice  of  praise  would  render  : 
Wilt  thou  accept  our  song  and  own  us  thine  ? 

Thou  who  wert  rich  with  Him  the  High  and  Holy, 
Lord  of  all  worlds,  enthi'oned  in  glorious  might, 

Thou  who  for  us  didst  press  the  manger  lowly. 
Thou  art  our  King,  our  Lord,  our  life  and  light. 

Thou  art  our  Shepherd,  Saviour,  Friend  and  Father ; 

We  are  thy  people,  thy  blood-purchased  flock ; 
With  thine  OA\-n  arm  thou  dost  us  safely  gather. 

And  give  us  water  from  the  smitten  rock. 

To  thee  the  veiled  Seraphim  in  glory 
In  ceaseless  worship  lift  the  adoring  cry; 

We.  joining  them,  sing  Holy,  holy,  holy, 
Lord  God  of  hosts,  who  ruleth  earth  and  sky. 


Reunion. 

Tho'  my  tiesh  and  heart  may  fail. 

Fail  and  fleet  forever, 
Yet  my  fears  .•shall  not  prevail, 

Christ  shall  leave  me  never. 
"When  time's  stormy  tempest  roar 

Is  forever  closing, 
I  shall  on  the  other  shore 

With  him  be  reposing. 

Loving  eyes  .shall  on  me  shine, 

Hands  .shall  stretch  to  meet  me, 
Loving  arms  shall  roimd  me  twine, 

Loving  voices  greet  me. 
There  my  little  ones,  I  know. 

Round  me  shall  be  clinging  ; 
There  the  loved  of  long  ago 

AVith  me  shall  be  singing. 

Saviour,  come  and  bring  the  day, — 

Day  of  endless  gladness ; 
Drive  our  tears  and  gloom  away, 

Banish  all  our  sadness ; 
Lot  us  see  the  light  of  hanu-, 

Hear  its  music  swelling  : 
Bring  us  through  the  conquei  rd  tumb 

To  that  Ih'avenlv  dwelling. 


March.  1. 

^'I  am  not  eloquent,"  says  one.  But  elo- 
quence is  not  what  is  wanted.  The  dying  man 
wants  to  see,  not  the  greatest  talker  in  town, 
but  the  Dian  who  has  been  sick  just  as  he  is, 
and  who  can  tell  just  what  cured  him.  And 
sinners,  longing  for  salvation,  want  some  sin- 
ner who  is  saved,  to  testify  the  fact.  Can  you 
do  it?  You  need  not  dispute  nor  boast  nor 
argue, — just  testify.  When  they  brought  Paul 
before  the  rulers  he  told  what  God  had  done 
for  him.     Can  you  do  the  same? 


March  2. 

We  must  have  our  daily  soul  work  between 
ourselves  and  God — our  secret  communion  with 
him,  or  we  shall  starve  even  though  surrounded 
by  plenty.  We  must  read  our  own  Bibles,  do 
our  own  praying,  and  believing,  and  weeping 
before  the  Lord ;  conquer  our  own  enemies  in 
the  strength  which  Jesus  gives;  and  grow  in 
grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  God  singly  and 
in  his  sight.  We  cannot  be  pardoned  in  masses 
or  saved  in  crowds.  Strait  is  the  gate, — and 
each  must  tind  it  mihI  enter  it  for  himself  alone. 


March  1. 


March  2. 

John  S.  1>.  Muiist'll,  hymn  writer,  1811.   Carl  Schurz,  18-f'.i. 


Marcli  3. 

The  curse  of  labor  is  a  blessing  in  disguise. 
Hard  work  keeps  men  out  of  mischief.  Satan 
finds  business  for  the  idle.  God  cursed  the 
ground  with  thorns  and  briers,  and  sent  man 
out  of  Paradise  to  subdue  the  soil  and  eat  his 
bread  in  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  Doing  this, 
men  are  blessed  with  good  health  and  appetite, 
quiet  slumber,  and  divine  favor.  Seeking  to 
avoid  the  curse  of  labor,  men  plunge  themselves 
into  tenfold  greater  evils. 

March.  4. 

Union  with  Christ  is  not  only  inward,  secret, 
and  vital,  but  it  is  also  outward,  practical,  and 
visible.  The  roots  of  the  tree  are  out  of  sight, 
but  the  branches  are  in  sight,  and  the  fruit  can- 
not be  hid.  Men  may  talk  of  consecration  to 
the  Lord,  when  their  lives  are  devoted  to  pleas- 
ing rich  men  who  have  money  to  bestow ;  or 
of  walking  Jjy  faitli^  while  spending  the  Lord's 
gifts  in  costly  living,  expensive  wines,  and 
high-priced  cigars ;  but  such  persons,  with  all 
their  self -satisfying  confidence  in  God,  and 
])oasted  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  may  yet 
have  something  to  learn  of  Ilim  who  was 
''  meek  and  lowlv  in  heart." 

70 


March  3. 

Edmund  Waller,  poet,.  IGOo. 


March  4. 

Karl  Kudolpli  Hiigeiibaeh,  1801. 


March  5. 

Peter  did  not  need  to  swear  until  he  took  to 
lying.  As  long  as  he  told  the  truth,  men  had 
confidence  in  him;  when  he  began  to  lie,  he 
had  to  swear  to  make  men  believe  it.  When  a 
man  swears  a  thing  is  so,  there  is  some  evidence 
that  it  is  not  so.  A  man  who  lies  is  quite  likely 
to  swear  to  it.  It  is  safe  to  beware  of  a  profane 
man.  '-To  swear  is  neither  brave,  polite,  nor 
wise."  It  is  a  vice  without  a  motive,  a  sin 
without  a  shadow  of  a  rew^ard.  It  is  a  vanity 
in  the  swearer,  and  a  vexation  to  all  around 
him.  It  is  contrary  to  both  law  and  gospel. 
God  forbids  it.  the  statute  prohibits  it,  men 
despise  it,  and  Christians  abhor  it.  It  is 
neither  needful  for  grace,  emphasis,  nor  assur- 
rance;  and  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  has  said, 
'•  Swear  not  at  all." 

Marjh  6. 

There  is  a  wonderful  power  in  Christian  ten- 
derness. Harsh  words  are  repelled ;  careless 
words  are  unheeded ;  fretful  words  patter  like 
rain-drops  on  a  close  roof;  witty  words  dazzle, 
and  tickle,  and  are  forgotten ;  but  tender  words 
go  down  deep  into  the  bottom  of  the  heart,  and 
heal,  and  soothe,  and  bless. 

72 


March  5. 

'■aac  I,  Hayes,  Arctic  explorer.  1832. 
u!strii  H.  La\ard,  arrhfrolo_'ist.  1S17. 


Tlif»nias  Aiii:H«tiu  Anie.  composer.  fV\f<\,  177S. 

March  6. 

Michael  An>zelo  Ihionaroti,  sculpt-^r,  HT""'. 

Admiral  Charles  John  Napier,  ITST'. 

Gen.  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  1S.'51. 


March   T. 

Gk)d  calls  for  witnesses  to-day.  They  may 
not  be  able  from  personal  knowledge  to  tell  the 
vision  of  a  transfigured  Christ,  or  the  story  of 
an  opened  sepulcher  and  an  angelic  message  on 
a  Saviour's  resurrection  morn,  but  they  can 
testify  of  the  present  grace  of  God,  and  the 
life-giving,  pardoning,  healing  power  of  Him 
who  lives  to  save  the  lost.  They  can  tell  of 
sins  forgiven,  of  sad  hearts  cheered,  of  gracious 
guidance,  and  of  heavenly  joy.  And  this  is 
what  the  world  needs.  Can  you  do  something 
to  supply  that  need? 


March  8. 

It  is  an  evil  thing  for  us  to  be  esteemed 
above  our  real  character ;  to  be  honored,  praised, 
and  trusted,  when  we  should  be  reproved,  and 
chastened,  and  watched.  Better  it  is  to  be  lit- 
tle, and  humble,  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  in 
an  obscure  and  unhonored  condition,  than  to 
pass  a  while  for  twice  our  value,  and  finally  be 
branded  as  a  counterfeit  and  exposed  as  a  cheat. 


74 


March  7. 

Sir  John  Fivderick  Herschel,  afrtronoiuer,  17 


March  8. 


March   9. 

The  woman  who  said,  "I  can  forget  and  for- 
give, hit  I  shall  alioays  remeniber  ^^,''  has  far  too 
many  imitators.  True  forgiveness  is  not  based 
on  forgetfulness ;  nor  are  we  to  wait  till  time 
has  worn  aw^ay  the  sense  of  wrong,  before  we 
pardon  a  penitent  offender.  AVhen  we  do  for- 
give that  should  forever  end  the  matter.  For- 
getfulness should  follow  forgiveness. 


March  10. 

Growth  requires  food,  and  growth  in  grace 
requires  a  gracious  diet.  If  a  babe  in  Christ  is 
fed  on  newspaper  novels,  ornamental  sermons, 
rhetorical  flowers,  musty  creeds,  and  old,  dry, 
sectarian  disputes;  or  if  his  taste  has  become 
so  vitiated  that  nothing  but  new  notions,  sensa- 
tional discourses,  theological  pickles,  condi- 
ments, and  sweetmeats,  will  satisfy  his  appe- 
tite, no  healthy  growth  can  be  expected;  but 
the  convert  will  fade  and  droop,  as  surely  as  an 
infant  w^ill  sicken  and  pine  when  fed  on  chalk 
and  water  instead  of  milk,  or  on  candies  and 
condiments  instead  of  plain,  healthy  food. 


March  9. 


March  10. 

ChaileH  Loyson  (  Vvm  Hyaciiitlie  ),  1827. 


B^'lljamin  'vV.st.  artis^r.  <]i.-(l,  1820. 
77 


March  11. 

The  best  arrow  is  worthless  if  the  bent  bow 
does  not  drive  it  home  to  its  mark ;  the  sudden 
sword- thrust,  which  a  man  can  neither  dodge 
nor  parry,  does  more  execution  than  a  hundred 
feints  and  flourishes.  Tlie  hasty  blow  brings 
fire  out  of  the  flint,  and  a  sudden  stroke  will 
sometimes  awaken  a  dormant  conscience  which 
nothing  else  could  rouse. 

March  12. 

The  world  is  full  of  ups  and  downs.  All 
around  us  are  men  climbing  up  to  be  tumbled 
down,  or  creeping  down  to  be  lifted  up.  Be- 
fore destruction  is  pride;  before  honor  is 
humility.  Satan  lifts  men  up,  that  he  may 
hurl  them  down.  God  casts  them  down,  that 
he  may  afterwards  lift  them  up.  When  men 
have  climbed  to  the  highest  point,  they  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  come  down.  When  they 
have  gone  to  the  lowest  depths,  then,  if  they 
move  at  all,  they  must  rise.  Men  seek  honor 
tlirough  pride ;  God  gives  them  shame  to  teach 
them  humility.  When  they  learn  to  choose 
His  way,  and  receive  what  He  appoints,  their 
short  humiliation  is  succeeded  by  enduring 
exaltation. 

78 


March  11. 

Francis  Wavland,  moral  philo^ophor,  \'\)G, 


March  12. 

Bishop  Geo.  Berkeley,  1684.     Torqnato  Tasso.  Italian  poet,  1544. 


March  13. 
AVatch  tliat  tongue.  It  is  your  tongue;  it 
belongs  to  you,  and  is  the  only  one  for  which 
you  are  responsible.  Your  neighbors'  tongues 
may  need  care  also,  but  that  is  their  business^, 
this  is  yours.  See  that  it  is  properly  attended 
to.  It  needs  Avatching.  It  *  4s  an  unruly  evil ;'' 
watch  it.  It  '*is  a  fire:*"  watch  it.  It  is  a  helm 
which  guides  the  vessel ;  let  the  helmsman  keep 
wide  awake.  It  can  bless  or  it  can  curse:  it 
can  poison  or  heal ;  it  can  pierce  hearts  and 
blight  liopes;  it  can  sow  discord  and  separate 
chief  friends.      Watch  that  tongue ! 

March  14. 
Many  people  come  to  prayer-meeting  entirely 
unfit  for  any  earnest,  decisive  action.  They  are 
like  an  old,  wet,  rusty  gun.  It  takes  longer  to 
clean  it  and  dry  it,  than  it  would  to  fire  a  good 
one  a  dozen  times ;  and  when  you  do  try  to  get 
it  off,  quite  likely  the  damp  powder  will  fzz! 
and  never  explode,  or  else  it  will  kick  and  do 
more  damage  to  friends  in  the  rear,  than  it  does 
to  the  foes  in  front.  ''  Short  and  to  the  point," 
is  a  good  motto  in  prayer-meeting.  Leave  off 
prefaces  and  conclusions ;  say  your  word  and 
get  through ;  tell  your  story  and  stop ;  fire  and 
fall  back,  and  irive  others  a  chance. 


March  13. 


March  14. 

Humbert,  KiiiLT  of  Italv.  l!<44. 


March  15. 
In  lowliness  is  security.  David  walked  in 
the  valley,  and  feared  no  evil,  for  the  Good 
Shepherd  was  wdth  him.  He  who  stands  on  the 
pinnacle  of  the  temple  is  quite  likely  to  have 
Satan  there  for  company ;  and  his  onl}^  object 
in  taking  Christ  up  there  was  to  coax  him  to 
cast  himself  down.  Learn  to  be  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart.  God  hath  respect  to  the  hum- 
ble, but  he  knoweth  the  proud  afar  oil.  Be- 
ware of  climbing  with  Satan,  lest  you  fall  as  he 
fell, — like  lightning  from  heaven. 

Marcli  16. 
Persons  who  become  Christians  enter  upon  the 
road  to  wealth :  for  the  road  to  wealth  is  sim- 
})ly  the  path  of  industry  and  frugality.  The 
Christian  refrains  from  expensive  vices.  Habits 
of  intemperance  and  dissipation  are  discarded. 
Recklessness  and  carelessness  are  foreign  to  his 
profession  and  character.  Gluttony,  luxury, 
and  gaudy  show,  are  alike  contrary  to  his  tastes 
and  to  the  rules  which  guide  his  conduct.  Idle- 
ness is  forbidden.  Everything  which  tends  to 
impair  vitality,  deteriorate  his  physical  powers, 
and  destroy  life,  becomes  to  him  a  sin.  Why 
then  should  lie  not  prosper,  and  so  be  able  to 
bless  and  benefit  liis  fellows? 


March  15. 

l*ie.>idciit  Audrew  Jackson,  17«»7. 


Julius  Caesiir.  kilkd.  44  1).(.'.         (iov.  Kiitlicott,  died,  KKJo. 

March  16. 


Marcli  17. 
He  who  would  do  good  with  his  worldly  pos- 
sessions should  do  it  now.  In  this,  as  in  all 
other  acts  of  obedience  to  God,  the  present  is 
the  accepted  time.  One  to-day  is  worth  two 
to-morrows.  He  who  would  win  the  golden 
stream  of  worldly  wealth,  and  yet  escape  the 
perils  of  perdition,  must  make  broad  channels 
through  which  that  stream  may  flow,  and  bless 
and  water  those  around  him.  If  he  would 
have  the  oil  in  his  cruse  gush  out  like  a  peren- 
nial fountain,  he  must  borrow  empty  vessels 
far  and  near,  and  pour  it  out  until  all  are  filled. 

Marcli  18. 
The  door  of  heaven's  hospital  stands  open 
yet.  Health  has  no  place  there,  and  the  pre- 
tense of  it  bars  us  from  the  door.  But  sickness, 
palsy,  pain,  ruin,  and  utter  helplessness, — these 
are  the  qualifications  which  recommend  us  to 
our  Lord.  He  receiveth  sinners,  but  he  receiv- 
eth  them  as  sinners,  and  in  no  other  way.  He 
only  asks  of  us  to  co/zte;  '•  Come  unto  me.  all 
ye  that  labor."  ''Whosoever  will,  let  him 
come."  '*If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  *'He  that  cometh  unto  me,  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  This  is  the  sole  con- 
dition.    Shall  we  hesitate  to  accept  it? 

84 


March  17. 

Thomas  Chalmers,  Scottish  divine.  1780. 


Jolm  Hastin-^,  died.  1811,  i^t.  (u. 

March  18. 

John  V.  Calhoun.  ITS'.'. 


March  19. 
It  was  said  of  one  man,  Avhose  protracted  re- 
marks in  social  meetings  probably  resembled  a 
mathematical  line — having  ^'length  without 
breadth  or  thickness,"  that  "  he  had  the  gift  of 
continuance,  and  that  w^as  about  the  only  gift 
he  did  have."  This  can  hardly  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  "best  gifts."  It  is  a  sign  of  mental 
infirmity  as  w^ell  as  of  sjDiritual  emptiness,  wiien 
a  man's  twaddling  tongue  gets  going  and  never 
knows  when  to  stop,  but  pours  out  a  wishy- 
washy,  everlasting  stream  of  empty  w^ords  wdiich 
meanders  away,  no  one  knows  or  cares  where. 

March  20. 
Suppose  you  are  slandered  and  abused;  sup- 
pose your  friends  turn  away  from  you;  what 
then?  You  can  make  ten  new  friends  by  mind- 
ing your  own  business  and  serving  God,  where 
you  can  regain  five  old  ones  by  quarreling  with 
your  enemies  for  their  confidence.  Let  them 
alone ;  keep  about  your  Master's  work ;  and  by- 
and-by  they  will  come  back  with  tears  in  their 
eyes,  confessing  how  they  have  been  misled  and 
have  wronged  you.  The  world  is  wide  enough 
for  earnest  souls;  if  men  elbow  and  crowd  you 
from  your  rightful  place,  go  out  and  find 
anotlier  and  a  l)etter  one 


March  19. 

Davhl  Livinju,'.>toiie,  1817.         Rev.  Edwanl  Bickti.-letli,  1786. 


March  20. 


March.  21.  . 
Do  not  waste  all  your  time  in  fighting  bad 
men,  or  in  seeking  to  undo  what  they  have 
done.  You  can  break  up  new  ground  to  raise 
a  fresh  crop,  in  less  time  than  you  can  pick  out 
die  tares  that  Satan  has  scattered  in  huddled 
abundance  among  the  wheat.  Let  both  grow 
together.  Wheat  will  ripen  even  in  the  midst 
of  tares,  but  in  seeking  to  separate  them  be- 
fore the  time,  the  wheat  will  be  ruined  and  the 
labor  lost.  The  lesson  Christ  would  teach  us  is, 
to  do  positive  work ;  to  go  about  our  business, 
and  trust  in  God  to  crown  it  with  a  blessing. 

March  22. 
Old  age  is  no  good  age  to  repent  in.  When  the 
fingers  are  hard  and  stiff,  it  is  not  easy  to  learn 
to  phiy  on  an  instrument  of  music.  When  the 
heart  is  hard  in  wickedness,  it  is  not  easy  to 
tune  the  penitential  string.  Poison,  lying  long- 
in  the  stomach,  is  hard  to  get  out.  Weeds 
that  have  grown  long  in  a  field  hold  their  posi- 
tion against  every  effort  to  remove  them.  Put- 
ting off  salvation  gives  Satan  a  plea  for  right 
of  possession.  The  longer  he  remains,  the  more 
difficult  it  is  to  dispossess  him.  Sunset  is  a 
poor  time  to  begin  a  day's  work ;  and  work 
done  late  is  seldom  done  well. 


March   21. 

Kul.ert  Hruct',  1U74.         Henry  Kirke  White,  poet,  1785. 
Johann  Sebastian  Bach.  If^f^ri. 


March  22. 

r»osa  lionhem',  1S22. 


March  23. 
Because  God  has  given  us  a  thousand  things 
to  eat,  it  does  not  follow  that  we  should  eat 
them  all  at  once ;  and  if,  instead  of  taxing  our 
brains  and  hands  to  prepare  endless  varieties  of 
food  for  a  single  meal,  we  should  make  the 
changes  from  day  to  day,  living  upon  a  more 
simple,  and  yet  more  varied  diet,  we  should 
find  in  so  doing  not  only  the  more  natural  ap- 
petite which  pertains  to  simple  habits,  but  also 
a  degree  of  health,  and  strength,  and  freshness 
of  body  and  spirit,  which  the  jaded  creatures 
of  luxury  know  nothing  of. 

March.  24. 
If  men  transacted  their  own  business  as  they 
do  the  Lord's,  they  would  be  bankrupt  within 
six  months.  Such  utter  shiftlessness  and  power- 
lessness,  transferred  to  commercial  circles, 
would  send  any  man  to  the  wall.  But  if  they 
threw  into  the  work  of  God  the  energy  which 
they  manifest  in  secular  pursuits,  they  would 
go  forth  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power 
of  his  might ;  terrible  as  bannered  legions,  con- 
quering and  to  conquer.  The  curse  of  God  is 
upon  him  who  doeth  the  work  of  the  Lord 
negligently.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  that  curse 
fall  not  on  us. 


Marjh  23. 

August  Htrinan  Fniiicke,  German  philaii(lir(ii)isl,  1<',<;; 


March  24. 


91 


March  25. 
How  sad  that  the  appetite  which  God  has 
bestowed,  and  the  means  which  he  grants  for 
its  healthful  gratification,  should  be  abused  to 
excess  and  glutton}^,  until  the  nourishment 
which  should  sustain  our  lives  is  changed  to 
poison,  and  fills  the  whole  frame  with  torment 
and  disease!  The  simple  tastes  which  God  im- 
planted are  perverted,  and  men  live  to  eat,  and 
die  of  eating.  They  eat  so  much  that  they  at 
last  can  eat  nothing.  They  revel  in  delicacies, 
until  they  must  abstain  from  necessaries;  and 
often  the  gluttony  of  early  years  is  expiated  by 
the  torments  of  dyspepsia,  and  a  diet  that 
beggars  would  despise. 

March  26. 
Some  girls,  having  been  accustomed  to  spend- 
ing large  amounts  of  money,  have  never  learned 
economy ;  and  the  poor  man  that  marries  one 
of  them  will  find  his  nose  on  the  grindstone  for 
life,  as  he  is  forced  to  earn  money  to  be  wasted 
in  gaudy  finery,  which  is  soon  worn,  torn,  soiled, 
and  cast  aside,  by  a  woman  who  knows  not  how 
to  save  or  mend,  but  who  scatters  and  spends 
continually  without  reason  or  restraint.  Such 
a  man,  w^ho  has  chosen  fine  feathers  rather  than 
a  fine  bird,  has  a  dark  future  before  him. 


March  25. 


March  26. 

Kenjamin  Tlioinpson  (Count  Kuuiford),  chemist,  17~>o. 


March  27. 

Preaching  often  runs  all  around  men,  and  all 
over  them,  like  a  bucket  of  water  sprinkled 
over  a  pile  of  corked  bottles.  Personal  effort 
uncorks  the  bottles  one  by  one,  puts  in  a  tun- 
nel, and  pours  them  full  of  water.  Personal 
work  is  the  most  likely  to  be  effectual  and 
enduring. 


March  28. 

Men  devote  their  entire  energies  to  their  own 
personal  business,  and  allow  the  work  of 
the  Lord  to  take  its  chances  for  success, 
with  such  casual  opportunities  and  efforts  as 
they  may  be  able  to  afford.  Self  has  the  years ; 
the  Lord  has  the  moments.  Self  has  the  week ; 
the  Lord  has  part  of  Sunday.  Self  has  the 
dollars ;  the  Lord  has  the  cents.  Self  has  the 
loaf ;  the  Lord  has  the  crumbs.  If  a  man  loses 
a  thousand  or  ten  thousand  dollars  in  some  ill- 
starred  worldly  enterprise,  people  do  not  blame 
him;  but  if  he  were  to  give  that  amount  to  the 
work  or  cause  of  God,  they  would  say  he  was 
insane,  and  propose  to  appoint  a  guardian  to 
take  care  of  his  ])roperty. 


March  27. 

Aiifrnst  Hahn,  theologian,  1702. 


March  28. 


March  29. 

God  has  ordained  woman  to  be  a  creature  of 
love.  Affection  is  the  instinct  and  necessity  of 
her  nature.  This  only  can  lighten  her  sorrows 
and  sweeten  her  cares.  As  a  daughter,  a  sister, 
a  bride,  a  wife,  and  a  mother,  her  sphere  is  one 
of  love.  Each  new  relationship  unseals  a  new 
fountain  of  tenderness  in  her  heart.  Hence 
many  fail  of  that  full  perfection  of  their  being 
which  the  sanctities  of  marriage  and  mother- 
.  hood  alone  can  give ;  or  through  their  own  self- 
ishness live  unloved  and  die  unlamented. 

March  30. 

A  man  cannot  make  a  world.  No  more  can 
he  make  the  wing  of  a  fly.  A  sun,  a  star,  a 
bud,  or  a  flower,  are  equally  beyond  the  reach 
of  human  art  and  power.  All  these  things  are 
the  work  of  God.  He  who  launched  the  plan- 
ets to  run  their  glorious  circuits  through  the 
heavens,  watches  the  innumerable  insects  in 
their  transient  flight.  The  same  light  which 
illuminates  each  portion  of  the  distant  vmiverse, 
paints  the  lily  and  the  rose,  and  show^s,  in  the 
earthly  beauty  which  charms  the  eye,  the  glory 
of  Him  who  hath  created  all  things  by  the  word 
of  liis  power. 


March  29. 

Dr.  John  Lightfoot.  commentator,  !()()'_' 


Irviii  Jl:istin;4s,  died,  1k;!». 

March  30. 


Dr.  William  Hunter,  physician,  diid.  1783. 
97 


March  31. 

Keep  humble.  Lambs,  not  lions ;  doves,  not 
eagles;  vines,  not  oaks, — are  the  emblems  of 
the  saved  of  the  Lord.  Dives  in  his  life-time 
has  his  good  things,  but  Lazarus  evil.  After- 
wards Lazarus  is  comforted  and  the  rich  man  is 
tormented.  Joseph  has  the  prison  and  Pot- 
iphar  the  palace,  Daniel  the  captivity  and 
Nebuchadnezzar  the  crown,  till  God  adjusts 
earth's  troubles  and  lights  earth's  wrongs,  in 
his  own  good  time.  Be  lowly.  Art  thou  a 
defenceless  sufferer  ?  thy  Master  was  led  as  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter.  Art  thou  an  outcast  in 
a  world  of  sin?  He,  too,  was  despised  and  re- 
jected of  men.  Art  thou  a  helpless,  clinging 
thing? — then  take  it  as  a  token  that  thou  art  a 
brand  I  of  the  true  Vine. 


March  31. 

l*'lanci^  Joaepli  Haydn,  compuser.  17J 
Rene  Descartes,  philosopher,  159G. 


Guide  of  My  Youth. 

Jer.  iii.  4. 

Father  in  heaven,  oh,  hear  me,  I  pray, 

Guide  thy  young  pilgrim  o'er  life's  troubled  way; 

Keep  me  in  pathways  of  love  and  of  peace, 

Bring  me  safe  liome  where  all  wanderings  shall  cease. 

Hear  me,  O  Saviour,  in  mercy  and  truth ; 

Thou  art  my  Father,  the  Guide  of  my  youth 

Dark  is  the  city  from  which  I  have  come, 
Wild  is  the  desert  thiough  which  I  now  roam; 
Tempests,  and  dangers,  and  storms  I  endure, 
Snares  are  around  and  my  path  is  obscure; 
Be  my  protector,  in  mercy  and  truth, 
Thou  art  my  Father,  the  Guide  of  my  youth. 

Soon  beyond  tempests  and  sorrows  of  time, 
I  shall  be  saved  in  a  glory  sublime; 
Then  shall  I  ceaselessly  sing  my  glad  song, 
Praising  my  Saviour,  the  faithful  and  strong; 
To  that  bright  home  do  thou  lead  me  in  truth, — 
Thou  art  my  Father,  the  Guide  of  my  youth. 


lOO 


piK^i^ 


The  Children's  Prayer. 

Our  Father,  God,  before  thy  throne, 
We,  little  children,  bow  the  knee, 

And  ask,  through  Jesus  Christ,  thy  Son, 
That  thou  to  us  wilt  gracious  be. 

Forgive  each  sin  in  word  or  thought, 
And  all  which  has  offended  thee ; 

And  seal  to  us  the  pardon  bought 
By  Jesus  on  the  shameful  tree. 

Protect  us,  Lord,  from  every  harm; 

Be  thou  our  shield  by  night  or  day; 
Enfold  us  in  thy  mighty  arm, 

And  let  thine  angels  guard  our  way. 

Living  or  dying,  may  we  rest 

Beneath  thy  calm,  out  spreading  wing, 
Ever  beneath  thy  shelter  blest, 

Sleeping  in  peace,  to  wake  and  sing. 

To  friends  and  parents.  Lord,  we  praj- 
The  same  sweet  mercies  may  be  given, 

To  guide  them  in  the  narrow  way. 
And  crown  them  heirs  of  life  and  heaven. 


April  1.  ' 
If  you  ^vere  building  afire  iu  au  old-fashioned 
tire-place,  you  could  not  build  it  solely  of  great 
logs  or  sticks.  One,  two,  or  three  logs  or  large 
sticks,  are  all  that  could  be  profitably  used,  but 
any  quantity  of  kindlings  could  be  disposed  of ; 
and  so.  when  God's  work  is  revived,  it  does  not 
commence  among  the  big  fore-sticks  and  bulky 
l)ack-logs, — the  solid  men  who  are  too  heavy 
to  be  easily  moved:  but  rather  with  little 
slivers,  and  splinters;  with  those  who,  in  the 
world's  eyes,  are  of  small  worth  or  consequence. 
There  the  light  and  heat  of  blessing  is  first 
realized,  and  the  fire  kindled  whicli  wraps  the 
whole  church  in  fiames  of  love  and  zeal. 

April  2. 
A  cup,  though  very  small,  may  be  full.  And 
it  matters  not  how  little,  or  how  weak,  or  how^ 
feeble  a  Christian  is,  if  he  is  only  full.  And  if 
he  is  full  to-day,  he  may  be  full  to-morrow ;  for 
Avliile  God  enlarges  his  heart  to  praise  his  name, 
he  will  also  increase  the  tide  of  blessing  to  fill 
the  renewed  soul.  It  is  for  us  to  inquire  to- 
day, Are  we  doing  all  that  God  requires,  and 
receiving  all  that  he  is  ready  to  impart?  Are 
we  living  up  to  the  full  measure  of  to-day's 
duties,  and  to-dav's  privile<}:es? 

102 


Apr::  1. 

Dr.  Williaui  Harvey,  discoverer  ut"  circulati'ju  ottlif  l^loud,  lC>'i 
Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxtoii,  philanthropist,  1786. 


April  2. 

Auiour  Hanultoii,  177-^ 


April  3. 

Carelessness  of  health  is  a  common  and  cr}'- 
ing  sin.  It  is  nqt  merely  a  misfortune,  — it  is 
more  than  an  evil, — it  is  a  great  and  terrible 
crime.  Sickness  imposes  burdens  upon  the  race 
greater  than  we  can  estimate.  Not  only  do 
loss  of  time,  labor,  and  money,  with  poverty, 
want,  orphanage  and  distress,  result  from  sick- 
ness; but  despondency,  murmuring,  repining, 
and  complaining,  with  bitter  and  selfish 
thoughts,  perpetually  spring  up  from  physical 
disease.  Most  diseases  are  avoidable;  and 
avoidable  sickness  is  sin. 

April  4. 

'  •  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous. " 
The  world  assails,  the  flesh  beguiles,  Satan 
assaults,  and  the  Lord  chastens.  What  then? 
Endure !  What  though  your  enemies  are  cruel 
and  your  friends;  false?  What  though  your 
house  is  divided,  and  traitors  are  all  around 
you?  Suppose  enemies  do  kindle  the  fire? 
Suppose  Satan  does  blow  the  bellows?  You 
will  be  none  the  worse  for  all  that :  it  will  only 
consume  your  dross  and  bring  you  forth,  purged 
from  everv  defiling  thing. 


April  3. 

(^forcjf  Horbort,  poet,  150.'!.         Washinj,'tori  Ir\  in;.',  1783. 


April  4. 


S^.  Ambrose,  .lied,  307. 
105 


April  5. 
It  is  well  for  us  to  know  the  value  of  little 
things;  and  to  learn  it,  we  have  but  to  look 
about  us.  Springs  are  little  things ;  but  they 
are  the  sources  of  mighty  rivers.  Sands  are 
little  things :  but  they  hem  in  the  ocean's  rag- 
ing waves.  Seeds  are  little  things;  but  all  the 
earth  smiles  w^ith  the  glory  of  their  fruitfulness. 
A  memento  presented  by  some  absent  friend  is 
a  little  thing,  but  yet  it  brings  to  our  mind  an 
absent  form  and  a  loving  face.  A  lock  of  hair, 
a  half- worn  shoe,  an  infant's  garment,  are  only 
little  things,  but  how  many  eyes  gush  out  with 
tears  as  they  look  upon  such  memorials  of  the 
dead ! 

April  6. 
Among  the  hundreds  of  men  that  crowd  our 
prisons  and  women  that  throng  the  chambers 
of  death  and  of  hell  are  few  w^ho  have  learned 
honest  trades.  Industrious  persons  with  trades 
know  what  they  can  do,  and  know  just  w^here 
to  go  for  steady  and  remunerative  w^ork.  But 
others  who  are  too  jDroud  to  learn  trades,  and 
too  lazy  to  do  drudgery,  of  course  look  out  for 
an  easier  way  of  getting  a  living ;  and  by  thef  fc, 
robbery  and  murder,  work  out  the  legitimate 
result  of  early  idleness,  extravagance  and  pride. 


April  5. 

Th<»masHobbes,  philosopher,  1588. 
Gen.  Sir  Henry  Havel ook.  1705. 


Robert  Raikes.  die«l.  1811. 

April  6. 

John  Pierpont,  1785. 


April  7. 

The  plea  that  prevails  before  the  Lord,  is  not 
iimocence,  but  peniteuce;  not  strength,  but 
weakness ;  not  riches,  but  poverty ;  not  fullness, 
but  hunger,  misery,  wretchedness,  and  rags. 
It  is  by  these  clasping  hands  that  we  take  hold 
upon  the  Eternal  Arm;  it  is  when  we  lie  prone 
and  helpless  hi  the  dust,  that  this  arm  is 
reached  down  to  talce  hold  on  us.  The  plea  of 
ruin  awakes  the  might  of  the  Redeemer.  The 
cry  of  the  lost  brings  the  Almighty  Saviour 
nigh.  The  sobs  of  the  wretched  prodigal  find 
their  answer  in  such  mercy,  plenty,  and  bounty, 
that  the  obedient  son  is  envious  of  the  greater 
favors  shown  to  him  who  has  naught  to 
commend  him  but  his  ruin  and  his  need. 

April  8. 

Intelligent  women  make  intelligent  men. 
Mothers  and  sisters  lay  the  foundations  for  all 
education,  and  do  much  towards  erecting  the 
superstructure.  One  bad  woman  is  said  to  be 
worse  than  ten  bad  men : — certain  it  is  that  one 
good  w^oman  can  do  a  work  which  ten  men 
would  strive  in  vain  to  accomplish. 


108 


April  7. 

Williaii.  Wordsworth,  1770.         St.  Francifi  Xavier,  1506. 


April  8. 


April  9. 

How  many  kind  thoughts  die  nnbom;  how 
many  kind  words  are  stifled  unspoken.  Hearts 
hunger  for  a  word  of  appreciation  and  praise, 
and  would  leap  for  gladness,  if  they  knew  the 
kindness  that  others  feel  toward  them;  but 
while  they  plod  on  in  doubt  and  darkness,  w^e 
stifle  kindly  aspirations,  and  the  cheering 
thought  and  sympathizing  word  die  ^vithin  our 
liearts  and  make  no  sign.  Why  need  we  be  so 
reticent  concerning  things  that  are  good? 
Most  people  are  outspoken  enough  when  angry 
or  discontented. 


April  10. 

Away  with  monumental  humbugs.  A  loaf  of 
bread  given  to  feed  a  man  when  alive  does  more 
good  than  a  thousand-dollar  grave-stone  after 
he  is  dead.  Let  Pharisees  build  the  tombs  of 
the  prophets,  and  garnish  the  sepulchers  of  the 
righteous  when  they  are  dead.  Be  it  ours  to 
hunt  out  the  living  saints  of  God,  and  l)y  w^ord 
and  act  do  them  the  good  that  they  need,  be- 
fore the  grave  has  hidden  them  from  our  view, 
and  w^e  are  left  to  waste  our  zeal  in  empty 
honors  and  in  worthless  praise, 
no 


April  9. 

Adelina  Patti,  1843. 


April  10. 

Felicien  David,  musician,  1810.    Hn;.^o  rirotiu^,  theolofjian.  1583. 


Dr.  Thomas  Hastings,  acred  20,  and  his  wite  .Su^^anna,  aged 
1').  embarked  on  the  Elizabeth .  ar  Ipswicli,  En.'  .  1B.34.  and  set- 
tled at  WaT.rr..\\ii.  :\Ia«->. 

i:  1 


April  11. 
AVhen  sur^^^eons  wish  to  dissect  the  ]>raiii, 
they  phice  it  in  alcohol,  which  hardens  it  so 
that  they  can  cut  and  handle  it  conveniently. 
The  man  who  drinks  alcohol  is  picHing  hk 
Ire  in  in  advance^  and  thus  becomes  so  stupid 
in  his  mental  faculties  that  only  the  most  power- 
ful stimulants,  in  large  and  increasing  doses, 
will  rouse  him  to  any  mental  etfort.  The  brain 
may  be  thus  abused  for  a  time,  but  at  last  it 
will  take  a  most  terrible  revenge.  Stupor,  hor- 
ror, and  despair,  drive  the  victim  of  appetite 
to  the  mad-house  and  the  tomb. 

April  12. 
Wives  need  love.  Their  hearts  yearn  'for  it 
as  much  as  in  the  days  of  girlhood.  They  often 
pass  their  womanhood  in  anxious  care  and  wear- 
ing labors.  In  the  anguish  of  maternity  they 
enter  into  new  spheres  of  existence,  whose  only 
light  is  love.  Whether  woman's  course  is  to  be 
sadness  or  joy,  sunshine  or  gloom,  depends  upon 
love.  A  long,  hard,  Aveary  day  of  toil  is  amply 
paid  for  with  a  single  smile ;  and  one  tender, 
loving  clasp  makes  her  forget  a  whole  life-time 
of  care  and  conflict,  and  bless  the  day  she 
found  a  husband  with  a  heart  so  true  and  a  hand 
so  strong. 


April  II. 


April  12. 

Heuiy  Clay,  17 


April  13. 
Take  care  of  yourself  or  no  one  will  take  care 
of  yon.  You  have  no  right  to  yield  your  judg- 
ment to  the  seductions  and  temptations  of 
friends.  Every  man  must  bear  his  own  bur- 
den ;  and  if  we,  by  weakly  yielding  to  the  in- 
fluence of  others,  impair  our  health,  diminish 
our  usefulness,  or  peril  our  lives,  we  must  en- 
dure the  results  of  our  folly ;  and  none  of  those 
who  have  misled  us  can  feel  the  sufferings 
which  their  temptations  have  occasioned. 

April  14. 
Hundreds  of  young  girls  who  w^ork  in  shops 
and  factories,  and  earn  from  twenty  ta  forty 
dollars  per  month,  will  at  the  end  of  the  year 
have  less  money  and  less  health,  and  less  com- 
fortaUe  clothing,  than  their  grandmothers  had 
who  did  housework  for  fifty  cents  a  v/eek  half 
a  century  ago.  They  fool  away  their  earn- 
ings, and  after  a  few  years,  they  are  broken  in 
health,  ignorant  of  the  arts  of  honest  life, 
skilled  in  flirtation,  enamored  of  novels,  with  a 
heap  of  tawdry  finery,  but  with  ''nothing  to 
wear"  which  is  comely  and  decent;  and  wdth 
neither  wisdom,  experience,  nor  health  neces- 
sary for  those  who  would  lay  deep  and  broad 
the  firm  foundations  of  a  happv  Christian  home. 

114 


April  13. 


Geor<::e  Freaerick  Hamk'l,  died,  1759. 


April  14. 

Horace  Bushiiell.  1802. 


April  15. 
He  who  would  gain  wealth  must  preserve 
health.  He  who  would  enjoy  wealth  when 
gained  must  retain  health.  Health  is  wealth. 
The  man  who  is  sound  in  heart,  and  soul,  and 
body,  without  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  is  richer 
far  than  he  who,  along  with  uncounted  hoards 
and  lands  outstretching  his  vision,  is  yet 
wretched,  nervous,  dyspeptic  and  discontented. 
He  who  loses  health  to  gain  wealth  may  soon 
see  the  time  when  he  would  part  with  all  his 
hoards  to  bring  back  his  lost  health  again. 

April  16. 
Peacemakers  must  keep  close  mouths.  Hear, 
and  say  nothing.  Give  counsel,  but  keep  se- 
crets. Secret-keepers  build  up  dykes  against 
slander,  and  prevent  gossip  from  deluging  the 
community.  We  have  sometimes  seen  a  con- 
flagration stayed  by  a  solid  brick  wall  in  the 
middle  of  a  block  of  buildings.  Just  like  that 
wall  stands  the  secret-keeper  in  the  midst  of 
broils  and  contentions.  Each  party  tells  its 
story ;  each  story  drops  like  a  stone  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  sea,  and  is  never  heard  from  again. 
How  many  quarrels  such  persons  settle ! — no  one 
seems  to  know  how,  but  all  are  glad  the 
trouble  is  done  with. 


April  15. 

.loliM  Lotliiop  Motley,  LL.D.,  histoiian,  1814. 


April  16. 

Sir  John  Franklin,  1780. 
Sir  Hans  Sloane,  M.  D.,  orifjiuator  of  the  British  Museum,  1660. 
Louis  Adolphe  Thiers,  PresiJeut  of  France,  1797. 


April  17. 
''Be  reconciled  to  thy  brother."  If  he  sin, 
rebuke  him.  If  he  repent,  forgive  him.  If  he 
sin  seven  times,  or  seventy  times  seven,  still 
forgiving  love  must  ever  meet  returning  peni- 
tence. But  there  must  be  no  holding  back  the 
truth.  There  must  be  no  denial  or  concealment 
of  facts  on  either  hand.  Standing  at  the  altar, 
consider  if  thy  brother  hath  aught  against  thee. 
Is  there  a  real  or  fancied  wrong?  ' '  Leave  there 
thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  and  be  recon- 
ciled to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer 
thy  gift."  Only  then  will  God  accept  the  offer- 
ing, and  send  the  blessings  of  his  peace. 

April  18. 
It  takes  good  people  to  have  good  meetings. 
Christians  who  serve  God  at  home  have  little 
difficulty  in  worshiping  him  when  assembled. 
But  men  who  live  in  sin  at  home  are  not 
changed  by  going  to  church.  A  man  w4io 
would  rather  talk,  and  joke,  and  smoke,  than 
to  pray;  or  one  who  prefers  a  newspaper  or  a 
novel  to  his  Bible  when  at  home,  is  not  changed 
in  heart  or  nature  by  stepping  into  a  prayer- 
meeting,  or  mingling  with  people  who  love  the 
Lord.  He  was  dead  out  of  meeting,  and  he  is 
dead  when  in  it. 


April  17. 

IJi^hop  Edward  Stilliuj^tieet,  IGo 


Benjamin  Franklin,  died,  1700. 


April  18. 


April  19. 

An  old  man  is  like  an  old  wagon ;  with  light 
loading  and  careful  usage  it  will  last  for  years ; 
but  one  heavy  load  or  sudden  strain  wall  break 
it  and  ruin  it  forever.  So  many  people  reach 
the  age  of  fifty,  sixty,  or  even  seventy,  meas- 
urably free  from  most  of  the  pains  and  infirm- 
ities of  age,  cheery  in  heart  and  sound  in  health, 
ripe  in  wisdom  and  experience,  with  sympathies 
mellowed  by  age,  and  with  reasonable  prospects 
for  continued  usefulness.  Let  such  persons  be 
thankful,  but  let  them  also  be  careful.  An  okl 
constitution  is  like  an  old  bone;  broken  with 
ease,    mended   with  difticulty.   . 

April  20. 

Times  of  heaviness  are  often  times  of  safety. 
Tlie  soul  is  put  to  the  proof ;  there  is  no  time 
for  sleep,  or  slumber,  or  pleasure;  we  must 
stand  our  ground,  that  Ave  be  not  defeated  in 
the  fray.  Heaviness  makes  us  watchful,  and 
keeps  us  soberly  to  our  work.  Heaviness  makes 
us  prayerful,  and  drives  us  to  the  merc3^-seat. 
Heaviness  hushes  our  idle  talk,  and  inclines  us 
to  reflect  upon  our  ways.  Heaviness  recalls  our 
faults,  and  frailties,  and  Aveaknesses,  and  drives 
us  to  Jesus  for  healing  and  for  help. 

120 


April  19. 


April  20. 


David  Biainerd,  niis>ionarv,  1718. 
Xapoleon  III.  (  riiarle>  Louis  Xapoloon  FJouapartt- "i.  18ns. 


April  21. 

At  every  step  there  are  by-ways  tliat  lead  to 
death;  at  every  moment  there  are  dangers  that 
may  sweep  us  to  the  tomb ;  at  every  tm-n  there 
are  snares  that  would  entrap  our  feet.  A  single 
mistake  may  ruin  every  earthly  hope.  An  hour's 
neglect  may  blast  the  joys  of  years.  A  mo- 
ment's sin  may  fill  a  life  with  grief.  Every  act 
we  do"  may  tell  for  weal  or  w^oe ;  for  not  a  day 
goes  by  without  witnessing  the  wreck  of  joy, 
the  blighting  of  hope,  the  breaking  of  hearts, 
and  the  quenching  of  mortal  life. 


April  22. 

Earth  has  no  holier  place  than  the  home 
where  ''effectual,  fervent  prayer  "  ascends  from 
day  to  day,  and  where  ' '  thanksgiving  and  the 
voice  of  melody  "  j^roclaim  the  creature's  glad- 
ness in  the  Creator's  love.  On  such  a  house  the 
lieavenly  benediction  sweetly  rests.  Angels 
encamp  around  about  it  for  protection,  and 
murmurs  of  praise  rise  from  it  to  the  heavenly 
throne;  and  however  darkness  may  prevail 
around,  there  is  light  within  that  dwelling,  for 
the  word  and  Spirit  of  the  Lord  are  there. 


April  21. 

Il.-inuld  Heber,  1783. 
Fi"ic.lii<h  Fr<il.(;l,  founder  of  the  "  KiiKlniraitt-n,"  17s*J, 


April  22. 

Immanuel  Kant,  German  pliilosopher,  1724. 


April  23. 
The  gift  of  silence  is  one  of  the  best  of  gifts. 
Often  hearts  are  burdened,  pressed,  and  full  of 
sorrow,  and  they  liuist  unburden  themselves ; — 
and  how  frequently  they  pour  their  sad  secrets 
into  ears  that  prove  like  trumpets  to  proclaim 
them  through  the  world.  Some  people  seem 
constitutionally  unfit  to  keep  secrets.  They  are 
so  shalloAv  that  they  slop  over,  and  boil  over, 
and  empty  all  that  is  within  them.  *' A  fool 
uttereth  all  his  mind."  Such  persons  are  a 
source  of  endless  mischief  and  trouble  in  the 
Avorld,  especially  to  their  friends. 

April  24. 
Through  all  change  our  Father  changes  not. 
Terrestrial  glories  fade.  Celestial  orbs  burn 
out  and  pass  from  view.  Suns  and  systems 
change  their  position,  in  the  great  cycles  of  the 
fleeting  age ;  but  over  all,  eternal  and  unchange- 
able, is  the  Father  of  lights,  in  whom  there  is 
no  variableness  nor  shadow  of  turning.  Live 
in  what  age  we  may,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  is  ever  our  God.  Go  where 
we  may,  whether  beneath  the  glories  of  the 
southern  cross  or  the  splendors  of  an  arctic 
sky,  earth  may  change,  heaven  may  change, 
hearts  may  change,  but  our  God  changeth  not. 


April  23. 

William  Shakepeare,  1564.  (?) 


William  Shakespearo,  died,  1010. 

April  24. 


DaTiiH  Df'Tno.  diod,  1731. 
125 


April  25. 
Of  course  there  is  no  disputing  about  tastes ; 
and  if  a  nian  chooses  to  put  away  his  histor}', 
his  heritage  and  his  hopes,  as  a  son  and  a  crea- 
ture of  Almighty  God,  and  trace  his  genealogy 
to  the  monkey,  the  mollusk,  and  the  mud,  we 
must  allow  him  to  exercise  his  preference ;  but 
when  he  insists  that  ice  shall  trace  our  geneal- 
ogic  line  through  ancient  apes  and  patriarchal 
poUywogs,  we  most  respectfully  decline.  We 
prefer  to  look  higher;  and  as  there  is  still  a 
little  uncertainty  among  scientific  men  on  the 
point,  we  propose  to  give  ourselves  the  benefit 
of  the  doubt,  and  still  look  up  to  a  Heavenly 
Father,  instead  of  down  to  a  little  mud-spawned 
moner,   as  the  source  of  our  existence. 

April  26. 
If  some  men  could  only  turn  God  out  of  his 
own  world,  they  would  feel  quite  at  liberty  to 
do  as  they  liked.  And  if  instead  of  believing 
that  they  are  the  creatures  of  God,  and  so  are 
amenable  to  his  righteous  and  wholesome  con- 
trol, they  can  convince  themselves  that  they  are 
simply  descended  from  some  race  of  obscene 
and  dirty  little  brutes,  what  is  there  to  hinder 
them  from  imitating  their  desrraded  ancestors 
to  their  hearts'  content? 


April  25. 

Oliver  Cromwell,  1599.        John  Keble,  poet,  1792. 


April  26. 

David  Hume,  historian,  1711. 


April  27. 
Those  who  would  do  good  must  not  forget 
the  young.  Under  sunny  faces  there  ai'^e  often 
sad  hearts,  and  even  the  outside  trifling  of  the 
gay  and  mirthful  may  hide  an  inward  longing 
for  the  great  salvation,  which  it  would  thrill 
your  soul  to  know.  Do  not,  by  austerity,  close 
up  the  approaches  to  the  minds  of  the  young, 
nor  by  unseemly  levity  lose  your  power  and  in- 
fluence over  them.  Be  genial,  friendly,  sym- 
pathetic, and  earnest, — always  patient,  gentle, 
and  kind ;  and  you  will  find  that  many  a  young 
person  will  give  you  his  confidence,  and  per- 
haps be  led  by  you  to  give  the  Lord  his  heart. 

April  28. 
No  man  can  understand  Jesus  Christ  who 
contents  himself  with  an  outside  view,  and  who 
sees  in  him  nothing  but  his  human  nature.  He 
is  "of  the  seed  of  David  according  to  his  flesh ;" 
but  he  is  also  "  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God 
with  power,"  "by  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead."  He  w^as  born  in  Bethlehem,  but  his 
goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old,  from  ever- 
lasting. The  stupid  cattle  stood  listless  around 
his  humble  couch,  but  all  the  host  of  heaven 
poured  forth  to  chant  the  birth-song  of  the 
humble  babe. 

128 


i 


April  27. 

Prol.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  1791.        Louis  Ivo.ssuih.  18(X>. 
Edward  Gibbou,  1737.  ^ 


April  28. 

Prof.  Ezra  Abbot,  1819.  Earl  of  Shaltesburv,  1801. 


April  29. 
Many  a  husband  owes  much  of  his  goodness 
and  of  his  peace  to  the  gentle  grace  of  a  loving, 
patient,  faithful,  blessed  wife.  And  manj^  a 
man  who  stands  high  in  the  strength  of  his 
companion's  holy  love,  if  he  were  joined  to  a 
drunken,  cursing  fury  of  a  wife,  would  either 
suffer  martyrdom  till  death  released  him  from 
her  power,  or  would  sink  in  discouragement 
and  become  a  worthless,  spiritless  thing.  Oh, 
if  wives  will  draw  nearer  to  God,  and  seek  to 
grow  in  grace,  and  in  all  holy  and  endearing 
excellencies,  they  will  often  find  their  husbands 
become  better,  purer,  and  nobler  men. 

April  30.  ■ 
Is  not  Christ's  church  bigger  and  older  and 
grander  and  truer  and  letter  than  any  man- 
made,  man-named,  and  man-ruled  society? 
May  not  a  man  drink  of  the  living  water  unless 
it  comes  through  some  other  man's  service- 
pipe?  Is  there  no  way  to  send  up,  and  draw 
from  the  fountain  head?  Must  a  godly  man  be 
met  with  distrust  because  he  cannot  frame  to 
pronounce  the  shibboleths  of  party,  and 
preaches  neither  Paul,  nor  Apollos,  nor  Cephas, 
nor  Luther,  nor  Calvin,  nor  Wesley,  but  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified? 

130 


April  29. 


April  30. 

Mathuliu  Jacques  Brisson,  naturalist,  172o. 
Duke  of  Argyll,  1823. 


Seed-Time. 

Great  Husbandman,  at  thy  command 
We  sow  thy  seed  with  liberal  hand, 
And,  mindful  of  thy  heavenly  call, 
Onward  we  go,  forsaking  all. 

On,  through  the  sad  and  weary  years. 
We  sow  the  precious  seed  with  tears; 
And  stay  our  hearts  in  faith  sublime, 
With  prospects  of  the  harvest  time. 

Not  long  shall  we  in  sorrow  go, 
Xot  long  endure  earth's  toil  and  woe; 
For  He  who  bids  us  sow  and  weep, 
Shall  call  us  then  in  joy  to  reap. 

Then  shall  each  tearful  sower  come, 
And  bear  his  bheaves  triumphant  home; 
The  voice  long  choked  with  grief  shall  sing, 
Till  heaven  with  shouts  of  triumph  ring. 

Thick  on  the  hills  of  light  shall  stand 
The  gathered  sheaves  from  every  land, 
While  they  that  sow,  and  they  that  reap. 
The  Harvest  Home  in  glory  keep. 


133 


May  1. 

When  vexed,  or  tempted  to  discontent  and 
fault-finding,  think  how  much  worse  off  many 
others  are,  and  thank  God  for  the  blessings 
which  you  possess.  If  your  food  is  plainer  than 
the  luxurious  fare  of  princes  and  epicures,  hun- 
gry thousands  would  be  thankful  to  get  what 
you  now  enjoy;  and  if  your  clothes  lack  the 
richness  and  beauty  of  those  worn  by  tlie 
votaries  of  fashion,  yet  how  many  haggard, 
ragged,  shivering  sons  of  want  and  sorrow 
would  gladly  take  your  poorest  garments,  and 
thank  God  for  the  comfort  they  would  afford. 

May  2. 

Why  cannot  men  separate  in  peace?  If  a  man 
leaves  one  religious  society  and  unites  witli 
another  — neither  of  which  can  honestly  lay 
any  valid  exclusive  claim  to  divine  or  apostolic 
origin, — why  should  he  be  abused  for  thus 
using  his  liberty?  Why  need  men  give  a  part- 
ing kick  instead  of  a  parting  blessing?  Why 
not  let  the  parting  words  be  kind  and  tender, 
causing  him  to  feel  that  his  absence  is  regretted, 
and  that  his  return  will  be  welcomed  with  de- 
light? 


May  1. 

.lusepli  Addison,  essayist,  IGT'J. 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Hastings  (  Harriet  Frances  Baruett). 


May  2. 

Arthur  Wellesley,  Duke  of  Wellington,  ITGU. 
KobertHall,  17G4. 


May  3. 

'•He  saw  them  toiling  in  rowing;  for  the 
wind  was  contrary  unto  them."  How  aptly  do 
these  words  express  the  condition  of  the  greater 
part  of  mankind,  sorely  laboring,  and  yet 
effecting  no  success  by  their  labor.  But  when 
such  was  the  condition  of  the  disciples,  Christ 
*'saw  them,*'  came  near  them,  and  brought 
them  deliverance.  He  "talked  with  them, 
and  saith  unto  them.  Be  of  good  cheer,  it  is  I, 
be  not  afraid;  and  the  wind  ceased,  and  m- 
mediately  the  ship  was  at  the  land  whither 
they  went." 

May  4. 

Oh  for  a  larger,  broader,  deeper,  purer,  faith 
and  love,  which,  while  it  cannot  sanction  e\^l 
and  sin  and  worldliness  and  pride,  even  though 
it  be  in  "good  and  regular  standing  "  in  "the 
straitest  sect,"  but  recognizes  a  grape,  a  thorn, 
a  fig,  or  a  thistle,  wherever  it  may.  happen  to 
grow ;  yet  makes  its  possessor,  like  David,  * '  a 
companion  of  all  them  that  fear  God;''  and 
adopts  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  —  "He  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven, 
the  same  is  mv  mother  and  sister  and  brother." 


136 


May  3. 

Deau  Humphrey  Prideaux,  theologian,  1648. 
Nicrolo  Machiavelli.  Italian  statesman,  1469. 


May  4. 

John  T.  Audubon,  about  1780. 
William  Hicklincr  Presoott,  179C. 


May  5. 

God  pardons  royally.  His  gifts  are  not  ac- 
cording to  our  deservings,  but  according  to  his 
abundant  goodness,  according  to  the  exceeding- 
riches  of  his  grace,  — according  to  the  greatness 
of  his  power,  and  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or 
think.  Shall  we  measure  the  depths  of  his 
ocean  by  the  size  of  our  tiny  porringers?  Shall 
we  estimate  the  heights  of  his  heavens  by  the 
stretch  of  our  little  kite-strings?  Must  we  be 
eternally  counting  up  our  merits  and  our 
demerits,  and  telling  the  Lord  what  we  deserve 
and  do  not  deserve,  and  what  we  think  he  can 
afford  to  do  for  us,  all  things  considered? 

May  6. 
Owe  no  man  anything  but  love.  Live  poor 
till  you  can  live  free.  Pay  at  once,  that  others 
may  pay  you.  Sell,  give  alms,  be  bound  for 
no  man's  debts ;  keep  square  and  know  where 
you  stand ;  buy  only  what  you  need ;  lend  only 
what  you  are  willing  and  able  to  lose ;  work  as 
for  eternity,  as  stewards  of  the  Lord,  and  have 
your  books  always  ready  for  the  Master's  strict 
inspection. 


May  5. 


Napoleon  Bonaparte,  died,  1821. 

May  6. 


May  7. 

Make  home  the  brightest  and  dearest  spot  on 
earth.  Let  smiles  and  sunshine  gather  there. 
Let  grace  hallow  all  that  love  bestows.  Let  the 
Heavenly  Father  l}e  the  head  of  the  family. 
Let  home  be  so  cheerful  and  pleasant  that  chil- 
dren will  not  desire  to  leave  it,  but  will  cling 
there  like  birdlings  to  their  nests,  until  at  last, 
full-fledged,  they  can  speed  away  in  safety  and 
in  peace. 


May  8. 

Pray  to  God  to  give  you  a  quiet  heart,  and  be 
content  with  such  things  as  you  have.  Waste 
no  time  in  idle  regrets  or  useless  longings.  Do 
the  very  best  you  can  just  where  you  are  to-day, 
and  trust  in  God  to  open  to  you  a  wider  door, 
and  lead  you  in  a  more  pleasant  path,  as  he 
shall  see  is  for  your  best  good.  Be  faithful  over 
a  few  things  now,  and  you  shall  in  due  time  be 
made  ruler  over  many  things,  and  enter  into 
the  joy  of  your  Lord. 


May   7. 


May  8. 


May  9. 
Pay  up!  If  you  have  money,  pass  it  along. 
Haul  out  the  old  purse,  and  hand  over  the  dol- 
lar: you  owe  it;  it  is  not  yours;  pay  it  I  Per- 
haps you  never  ought  to  see  another  dollar  till 
you  learn  what  money  is  made  for,  and  cease 
to  hoard  it  up.  Pass  it  along,  pay  your  debts, 
and  trust  in  God  to  bring  it  back  again  in  his 
own  good  time.  Money  is  made  to  be  used, 
and  the  way  to  use  it  is  to  pay  your  debts.  A 
few  dollars  ttsed  in  a  community  will  pay  all  the 
debts,  and  leave  everybody  clear;  a  few  dol- 
lars hoarded  makes  everybody  trouble,  and 
does  no  one  any  good. 

May  10. 
Books  can  be  neglected  and  forgotten.  They 
lie  upon  the  shelf,  and  no  man  sees  or  knows 
their  contents.  But  the  earnest  fidelity  of  a 
living  Christian  man,  who  walks  up  and  down 
the  earth  bearing  a  message  for  his  Maker,  can- 
not so  easily  be  forgotten  or  disregarded.  And 
when  Christianity  is  thus  made  practical,  and 
the  lives  of  God's  saints,  holy,  heroic,  and  self- 
sacrificing,  are  seen  from  day  to  day  as  living 
examples  of  the  power  of  Christ,  men  can  but 
feel  the  influence  of  a  Christianity  which  pro- 
duces such  effects. 


May  9. 

Capt.  John  Browii;  of  Osif.iwattomie,  1«00. 


May  10. 

Bishop  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  1818. 
Jared  Sparks,  historian,  1789. 


May  11. 
Sometimes  we  only  learn  by  experience  (lie 
plague  of  our  own  hearts.  Like  the  vic- 
tim of  some  insidious  disease,  beautiful  to  be- 
hold, the  very  picture  of  health  to  the  sight  of 
the  inexperienced  gazer;  the  practiced  eye  dis- 
cerns disease  in  the  flesh,  rottenness  in  the 
bones,  the  plague  doing  its  secret  work,  the 
leprosy  preparing  for  its  loathsome  and  mortal 
developments.  The  revelation  of  this  inward 
plague  must  come.  Happy  are  they  who  do 
not  wait  till  it  comes  in  their  own  dark,  terrible 
experience,  but  who,  walking  with  God,  see 
themselves  as  God  beholds  them. 

May  12. 
Whatever  words  of  bitterness  and  scorn  we 
may  utter  will  be  very  likely  to  be  repaid  with 
interest;  and  if  we  deal  violently,  our  violent 
dealings  shall  come  down  upon  our  own  pates, 
xso  man  is  fit  for  independence  but  he  who 
depends  upon  God.  Depending  upon  him,  we 
shall  walk  carefully  before  him,  mindful  of 
his  commands,  watchful  for  his  glory,  careful 
of  the  feelings  and  rights  and  necessities  of 
others,  and  we  shall  find,  while  we  are  blessing 
the  world,  our  own  hearts  shall  be  blessed  of 
the  Lord. 


May  11. 


William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chfitham,  died,  1788. 

May  12. 

Roberto.  Winthrop,  LL.  D.,  orator,  1809. 
Linngeus,  botanist,  1707. 


May  13. 
If  the  j)resident  of  the  United  States  should 
come  to  town,  half  the  boys,  and  men,  too, 
would  be  glad  of  the  chance  to  hold  his  horse 
even,  because  they  would  think  it  an  honor  to 
wait  upon  a  man  of  such  eminent  position. 
But  is  it  not  an  honor  to  do  something  for  the 
Lord,  for  the  Christ  that  died  for  us,  for  the 
Saviour  who  redeemed  us?  We  cannot  do 
much.  He  does  not  beg  it  as  if  he  was  needy, 
l)ut  he  does  give  us  the  privilege  of  showing 
our  gratitude  to  him  for  all  his  mercies.  Let 
us  embrace  the  opportunity  with  joyful  hearts, 
and  obey  the  Lord  in  all  things. 

May  14. 
Independence  is  not  a  human  attribute.  Men 
boast  of  being  independent  thinkers,  while 
nearly  all  which  they  know  has  been  received 
from  others,  and  the  independent  thoughts  of 
wdiich  they  are  so  proud  are  frequently  simply 
an  utter  lack  of  all  intelligent  thinking,  or 
illogical  deductions  from  facts  which  have  no 
existence.  So  men  claim  the  right  to  do  as  they 
please,  and  to  say  what  they  choose,  and  to 
liave  their  way,  forgetting  that  God  has  made 
us  to  be  nuitual  lielpers,  and  imposed  upon  us  a 
mutual  dependence  on  each  other. 

146 


May  13. 

Maria  Theresa,  C^ueen  of  Hungary  and  Bolicmia,  1717 


May  14. 

Gabriel  Daniel  Fahrenheit,  1685. 


147 


May  15. 

An  open  life  is  the  only  true  life.  Secret  sin 
is  the  great  mistake  of  mankind.  God  is  for 
the  penitent,  no  matter  how  low  he  may  have 
fallen,  and  against  the  hypocrite,  no  matter 
how  high  he  has  climbed.  It  will  be  small 
comfort  for  a  man  who  plunges  into  hell  to 
think,  "No  one  suspects  that  I  am  here."  Of 
all  the  fatal  delusions  which  the  light  of  the 
great  white  throne  shall  dispel,  the  delusions 
of  those  who  sin  in  secret  will  be  among  the 
saddest.  The  dark  record  of  their  sins  will  be 
produced.  The  hidden  stains  will  be  revealed. 
"God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment, 
with  every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good  or 
whether  it  be  evil.  " 

May  16. 
Look  after  the  young.  Young  friends  are 
long  friends.  The  parents  are  passing  away; 
lay  hold  on  the  children.  Soon  the  aged  may 
no  more  give  you  welcome  to  tiieir  dwellings, 
but  if  you  watch  over  the  young,  and  seek  to 
guide,  and  help,  and  bless  them,  you  will  find 
their  greeting  as  hearty,  and  their  love  as  ten- 
der, as  has  been  that  of  the  friends  you  have 
cherished  in  days  past. 


May  15. 

Aletternicli,  Austriau  statesmau,  1773. 


Daniel  O'Loimell,  Iiis^h  patriot,  died,  1847. 

May  16. 

Secietaiv  William  H.  Seward.  1801. 


May  IT. 

To  live  quietly,  make  the  best  of  those  iu 
whose  company  your  lot  is  cast.  Shun  subjects 
about  which  you  differ,  as  a  sailor  would  shuu 
a  sunken  rock.  Be  as  shy  of  getting  the  last 
word  as  you  would  be  of  a  loaded  bomb-shell. 
Do  not  let  familiarity  take  the  place  of  courte- 
sy, lest  it  end  in  mutual  contempt.  Do  not 
find  fault  needlessly ;  and  when  compelled  to 
blame  others,  do  it  kindly  and  privately.  Do 
not  expect  others  to  think  and  reason  just  as 
you  do,  nor  call  them  fools  for  differing  with 
you.  There  are  more  things  in  heaven  and 
earth  than  were  ever  dreamed  of  in  your  phi- 
losophy, and  some  of  these  may  lead  you  to 
change  your  mind. 

May  18. 

No  man  can  know  tliat  he  is  saved,  until  he 
has  first  known  himself  lost.  The  knowledge 
of  ruin  precedes  the  knowledge  of  redemption. 
And  all  this  knowledge  is  from  God.  God  will 
surely  show  us  ourselves  in  some  way.  Unwill- 
ing as  we  are  to  learn  the  lesson,  we  must  learn 
it  here  or  hereafter.  At  the  throne  of  grace  or 
at  the  throne  of  judgment,  God  will  reveal  to 
man  his  real  nature. 

150 


May  17. 

l>i.  Edward  Jeuuer,  1749. 


May  18. 

Charles  Fiederick  Hudson,  1821. 


May  19. 
Reserve  your  words.  Many  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel  has  ruined  his  influence  by  gabbling  and 
story-telling,  and  vain  and  hasty  talk.  Silence 
jjrepares  one  to  speak  with  power.  Some  of 
the  mightiest  preachers  of  the  word  of  God 
have  been  so  silent  and  reserved  as  to  have  been 
deemed  unsocial  by  silly  women  and  gabbling 
men,  who  had  nothing  to  talk  about  higher  than 
weather,  politics,  gossip,  and  scandal.  Men 
who  hold  their  tongues  and  use  their  brains, 
can  come  before  the  assembly  with  hearts  in- 
diting good  matter,  and  pour  forth  the  words 
of  salvation  like  clouds  filled  with  rain. 

May  20. 
The  only  way  for  a  man  to  escape  being  found 
out,  is  to  pass  for  what  he  is.  The  only  way  to 
maintain  a  good  reputation,  is  to  have  a  good 
character  which  deserves  it.  It  is  easier  to  cor- 
rect our  faults  than  to  conceal  them.  It  is  ea- 
sier to  repent  of  sins  than  to  cover  them. 
Half  the  labor  it  costs  to  serve  the  devil  on  the 
sly,  will  enable  us  to  serve  the  Lord  openly  and 
above-board.  Secret  sin  ends  in  public  shame. 
Judas  began  with  pilfering  slyly,  and  ended 
with  treachery  and  suicide,  which  ^' was  known 
unto  all  the  dwellers  at  Jerusalem." 

152 


May   19. 

Prof.  John  Wilson,  philosopher  and  poet,  1785. 
Johann  Gottlieb  Fichte,])hilosopher,  1762. 


Armour  Haniilton,  died,  1859,  a^od  84. 

May  20. 

John  Stuart  Mill.  1800. 


Cliristophpr  Coliiml-ms.  died.  'i:)OC,. 
153 


May  21. 
Do  right  everywhere,  and  trust  in  God  to 
give  victory  and  rest.  Do  not  follow  the  mul- 
titude to  do  evil.  Do  not  be  a  time-server  nor 
a  tool.  Stand  boldly  up  for  truth  and  right- 
eousness, and  ever  live  with  a  solemn  conscious- 
ness of  direct  and  personal  responsibility  to 
God.  Make  no  compromise  with  error,  sin,  and 
wrong;  strike  no  bargains  with  Satan;  every- 
thing which  he  proposes  is  a  trap,  everything 
that  he  promises  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare. 
Man  is  weak,  Satan  wily, — only  God  is  true. 
Trust  in  him;  do  right  everywhere,  and  he 
will  protect  and  direct  you,  and  save  you  at 
the  end. 

May  22. 
Moses'  complaint,  when  called  by  the  Lord 
to  deliver  Israel,  was  that  he  was  ''slow  of 
speech;"  but  he  found  before  he  got  through 
the  wilderness  that  he  talked  plenty  fast  enough ; 
yes,  altogether  too  fast  for  his  own  good.  And 
it  is  curious  that  this  very  man,  w^ho  declined 
to  act  as  the  Lord's  messenger  because  he  w^as 
so  slow  of  speech,  by  his  rashness  and  haste  in 
speaking  "unadvisedly"  with  his  lips  lost  his 
portion  of  the  inheritance  in  Canaan,  and  died 
outside  the  borders  of  the  promised  land. 


May  21. 

Elizabeth  Fry,  1780. 
lliHi.ilpli  Hcnnann  liOtze,  pliilosophcr,  1HI7 


May  22. 

Rev,  Newman  Hall,  1810.         Alexandei-  Pope,  poet,  1(1^ 
liichaifl  \Vaf(iiei-,  coini»oser,  1H13. 


May  23. 

One  important  condition  of  success  is  wait- 
ing. There  are  processes  in  nature,  in  provi- 
dence, in  grace,  which  cannot  be  hurried. 
There  are  things  to  be  done  which  not  only  re- 
quire labor  and  skill,  but  also  time.  No  human 
power  can  dispense  with  this  element.  There 
are  things  which  can  only  be  had  by  those  who 
icait.  The  whole  history  of  God's  dealing  wdth 
man  in  the  world  illustrates  this.  "The  hus- 
bandman waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the 
earth,  and  hath  long  patience  for  it,  until  he 
receive  the  early  and  latter  rain."  There  is  no 
other  way  of  obtaining  it — he  must  wait. 

May  24. 

One  man  can  not  do  everything,  be  every- 
thing, nor  have  everything.  We  have,  each  of 
us,  all  we  can  attend  to  to  do  our  own  business ; 
why  should  we  envy  others  their  talents,  their 
work,  or  their  w^ages?  They  have  their  duties 
to  do,  and  to  their  own  Master  they  stand  or 
fall.  We  have  as  many  talents  as  we  shall  im- 
prove, as  much  prosperity  as  we  deserve,  and 
all  the  responsibility  w^e  shall  wish  to  answ^er 
for  in  the  day  of  judgment. 


May  23. 

Xhomasj  Hood,  poet,  17i>8.        Dr.  Wm.  Hunter,  anatomihl,  1718. 


Hiram  Armour  Hastings,  died.  1849. 

May  24. 

Queen  Victoria,  1819. 


Nicholas  CopeiTiicu.s,  died,  1543 
157 


May  25. 

Aside  from  secret  indulgence  in  known  and 
cherished  sins,  there  is  nothing  more  danger- 
ous to  a  young  and  impressible,  mind  than  to 
be  placed  in  constant  and  tolerant  association 
with  wrong.  To  look  silently  upon  iniquity; 
to  hush  the  indignant  outcry  of  a  manly  con- 
science ;  to  bow  to  evil  which  seems  too  strong 
to  be  resisted ;  to  watch  the  windings  of  the 
crooked  serpent,  and  yet  feel  no  desire  to  bruise 
his  infernal  head;  and  thus  to  harden  the  con- 
science, and  drift  into  the  current  of  worldly, 
selfish  craft,  till  every  trace  of  honor  and  up- 
rightness has  vanished  away, — this  is  fearful  in 
the  extreme. 

May  26. 

Self-murder  is  a  crime,  whether  in  a  minister 
or  a  gambler,  a  glutton  or  a  drunkard !  Over- 
work is  wrong ;  and  there  is  no  more  piety  in 
a  man's  overdriving  himself,  than  there  is  in  his 
overdriving  a  horse.  It  is  best  for  men  to  be 
careful.  It  would  be  sad  to  receive  the  curse 
of  a  suicide  when  expecting  the  crown  of  a 
martyr. 


May  25. 

l>r.  John  Pve  Smith,  Biblical  t?cholar,  1774. 


^         William  Paley,  died,  1805. 

May  26. 

Count  Nicholas  Louis  Zinzendorf,  1700, 


Thf  Venerable  Bede.  ecclos.  historian,  died,  735. 
169 


May   27. 

That  was  a  striking  thing  said  of  one  of  the 
Hebrew  kings,  when  the  work  and  its  results, 
of  his  successful  reign,  were  being  summed  up : 
''He  did  it  with  all  the  heart,  and  prospered." 
This  doing  things  with  a  hearty  enthusiasm  is 
often  what  makes  the  doer  a  marked  person, 
and  his  deeds  effective.  The  most  ordinary  ser- 
vice is  dignified  when  it. is  performed  in  that 
spirit.  Every  employer  wants  those  who  work 
for  him  to  put  heart  into  toil.  Such  do  not 
need  constant  w^atching.  He  can  trust  them  in 
his  absence.  The  places  of  honor  and  profit 
naturally  fall  to  them. 

May  28. 

It  is  w^ell  for  the  Christian  to  have  a  few 
things  settled  beyond  disj)ute;  and  one  of  the 
first  things  to  be  determined  is,  ^'I  tcill  obep 
God,''''  Many  professors  of  godliness  have  nev- 
er decided  this  matter,  and  consequently  when 
bidden  of  the  Lord  to  do  anything,  the  devil 
tells  them  not  to  do  it ;  and  then  they  have  a 
long  mental  conflict,  a  regular  field-fight  with 
Satan,  every  time  they  are  called  upon  to  con- 
fess the  Lord,  before  they  can  make  up  their 
minds  whether  to  do  it  or  not. 

160 


May  27. 

Buibop  Geo.  W.  Doaue,  1799. 


May  28. 

Louis  John  Kandolph  Agassiz,  naturalist,  1807. 
William  Pitt,  Jr.,  1759.  Thomas  Moore,  Irish  poet,  1779. 


161 


May  29. 

One  half  of  our  troubles  would  vanish  if  we 
were  possessed  by  a  spirit  of  calm  content.  A 
thousand  things  which  we  fear,  never  come  to 
pass ;  and  a  thousand  things  which  do  come  to 
pass  would  disturb  us  very  little  if  we  had  the 
spirit  of  contentment  within.  Poverty  may 
press  us,  but  he  who  has  contentment  is  richer 
than  he  would  be  with  a  mine  of  gold.  Fears 
may  assail  us,  but  he  who  is  really  contented 
with  the  present  has  little  to  fear  for  the  future. 
That  God  who  has  guided  him  all  his  days  to 
the  present  time,  will  not  leave  him  nor  forsake 
him  in  his  time  of  need. 

May  30. 

I  will  tell  you  what  I  would  do,  if  I  thought 
the  world  owed  me  a  living.  I  would  get  me 
a  lioe^  and  go  out  somewhere,  where  I  could 
get  a  good  chance  at  the  world,  and  commence 
to  dig,  and  drop  in  a  few  seeds  here  and  there, 
as  I  had  opportunity ;  and  I  think  if  the  world 
really  owed  me  a  living,  by  sticking  close  to  it 
with  my  lioe,  I  could  collect  the  debt  in  the 
course  of  tlie  season.  This  s^ems  tlie  readiest 
way  I  can  think  of  to  collect  what  tlie  world 
owes  us. 

162 


May  29. 

i'atiitk  Ucniy,  orator  aud  statesman,  ll'M). 


May  30. 


May  31. 

Suppose  the  returning  prodigal  had  talked 
on  this  wise :  "I  think,  father,  I  am  unworthy 
of  any  better  clothes  than  I  have,  till  I  can  earn 
them.  As  it  regards  food,  I  have  no  objection 
to  your  feasting  over  my  return,  but  I  prefer 
not  to  eat  any  of  the  'fatted  calf;'  indeed,  I 
am  unworthy  to  sit  at  the  table,  and  while  you 
are  having  your  feast,  I  think  I  will  take  a  dry 
morsel  and  sit  down  in  the  back  kitchen  and 
eat  it  alone;  I  am  so  unworthy." 

What  would,  what  could  a  father  have  said 
to  such  cant  and  nonsense  as  that?  And  if  the 
prodigal  had  talked  thus,  and  disturbed  the 
whole  house  by  long  speeches  about  his  '^un- 
worthiness,"  would  he  not  have  been  voted  a 
bore,  and  received  more  credit  for  impertinence 
than  for  humility? 


May  31. 

JoUu  A.  Aiidiew,  Gov.  of  Mass.,  1818.   Alexander  Crudou,  1701. 


165 


Even-Song  at  Sea* 


Soft  the  silent  surges  sleep 

In  the  bosom  of  the  deep ; 

Winds  are  hushed,  and  waves  are  still* 

All  obe}'  their  Maker's  will. 

Thus  may  we  at  twilight's  hour 
Hear  Thy  soothing  word  of  power. 
Lord,  within  our  troubled  souls 
Hush  each  tossing  wave  that  rolls. 
JS.  S.  "■Hanoverian,''^  Sunday  Eve,  May  28, 1882. 


The  Wild-Wood  Maiden. 


O  wild-wood  maiden,  free  as  air, 

With  woods  and  birds  and  blossoms  round  thee, 
Far  from  earth's  pomp  and  show  and  care, — 

Sweet  nature  with  her  charms  has  bound  thee. 
The  opening  buds  are  thy  delight, 

The  birds  and  blossoms  give  thee  pleasures, 
The  lilies  float  in  softest  light, 

Before  thee  earth  unfolds  her  treasures. 

Thy  soul  doth  purer  gladness  feel 

In  woods  with  notes  of  birds  resounding, 
Than  heroes  know  when  cannons  peal, 

Or  through  fame's  tinimp  their  names  are  sounding 
God  keep  thee  ever  true  and  strong, 

Fresh  as  the  lilies  and  the  roses; 
And  fill  thy  mouth  with  gladsome  song 

To  Him  who  all  thy  life  disposes. 

And  if  the  day  shall  ever  come, 

When  earthly  pomp  and  show,  beguiling, 
Shall  wean  thee  from  thy  lowly  home 

With  trees  and  flowers  and  sunshine  smiling, — 
O,  think  of  Him  who  gave  thee  life; 

And  robed  the  world  with  richest  beauty, 
And  turn  thee  back  from  earth's  wild  strife. 

To  purity  and  love  and  duty. 


167 


June  1. 

Keeping  in  the  middle  of  the  road  we  avoid 
the  ditches  on  either  side.  If,  instead  of  dis- 
puting over  what  they  believe,  people  would 
spend  their  time  in  inquiring  w^hat  God  has 
said,  they  would  find  less  to  dispute  about, 
and  more  to  agree  upon,  and  would  be  greatly 
profited  and  instructed.  Men  argue  long  to 
prove  that  the  Scripture  favors  or  opposes 
something  which  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Bible 
at  all.  Why  not  drop  unscriptural  phrases  and 
statements,  and  take  the  Scripture  itself  and 
believe  it? 


June  2. 

We  need  a  new  translation  of  the  Bible; — 
not  a  translation  w^hich,  by  changing  a  word 
here,  and  substituting  another  there,  shall  make 
the  book  of  God  the  organ  of  a  sect,  or  the 
pack-horse  of  a  one-sided  theology;  but  a  trans- 
lation of  the  Holy  Scriptures  into  flesh  and 
blood;  into  palpable  realities;  into  the  living, 
breathing  acts  and  elements  of  Christian  life; — 
a  translation,  not  into  words  but  into  deeds, 
wliich  shall  commend  itself  to  every  man's  con- 
science in  the  sight  of  God. 

168 


June  1. 

Henry  Francis  Lyte,  1703. 


Jerome  of  Prague,  martyred,  1416. 

June  2. 


June  3. 
Godliness  is  gain,  and  contentment  is  also 
gain,  but  "godliness  icith  contentment  is  great 
gain,'^  "  having  promise  of  the  life  which  now 
is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  A  man^s 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  things 
which  he  possesseth.  Contentment  is  not  from 
without,  but  from  within.  When  persons  are 
possessed  by  the  demon  of  discontent,  no  sur- 
roundings can  satisfy  them,  nothing  on  earth 
can  make  them  glad.  But  those  whose  hearts 
are  filled  with  contentment,  find  roses  growing 
on  all  the  thorns  around  them,  and  pluck  flow- 
ers where  others  only  find  briers,  weeds,  and 
brambles. 

June  4. 
If  a  man  would  know  that  he  is  saved,  the 
first  thing  necessary  is  for  him  to  Je  saved.  It 
is  entirely  useless  for  a  man  to  undertake  to 
know  anything  which  is  7iot  so.  Suppose  a  sick 
man  should  say,  ''I  wish  that  I  knew  that  I  was 
well;'-  or  suppose  a  blind  man  should  say,  *'I 
wish  I  knew  that  I  could  see;"  of  what  use 
would  such  knowledge  be?  If  a  man  could  see, 
he  would  know  it :  and  if  he  can  not,  of  what 
use  is  it  for  him  to  try  to  know  that  he  can  see, 
when  every  one  else  knows  that  he  can  not? 


June  3. 

Kicliard  Cobden,  statesman,  1804. 


June  4. 

Sir  Garnet  Joseph  Wolseley,  1833. 
George  III.  of  England,  1738. 


June  B. 

The  man  who  wishes  to  know  that  a  farm  is 
his,  should  buy  it  and  pay  for  it ;  and  when  he 
has  done  this  and  put  his  title  on  record,  if  he 
gives  no  mortgages,  and  there  are  no  judgments 
or  claims  standing  against  him,  he  Tcnows  per- 
fectly well  to  w^hom  that  farm  belongs.  Just 
so  you  may  know  yourself  to  be  a  child  of  God. 
Accept  w^hat  God  has  offered;  forsake  what 
God  has  forbidden:  follow  where  the  Saviour 
leads  you ;  fulfill  the  will  of  God  with  steady, 
constant,  and  ceaseless  devotion,  and  you  will 
Icnoici  whether  you  are  saved ;  your  family  will 
know  it,  and  your  neighbors  will  know  it  also. 


June  6. 

Let  faith  in  God's  word  die  out  in  any  com- 
munity, and  it  will  soon  be  found  that  that  is  a 
good  country  to  emigrate  from.  No  advantages 
of  soil  or  climate  or  government  can  make  a  na- 
tion happy,  peaceful,  or  prosperous,  unless  they 
regard  the  word  of  God,  and  fear  and  love  the 
Lord  their  Maker. 


June  5. 

A<1aiii  Smith,  political  economist,  1723. 


r.aion  Carl  .AFaria  Von  Weber,  cojnpnser,  <lie«l,  182G. 

June   6. 

Dr.  Xatliiiiiael  Lardner,  theologian,  16S4. 


173 


June  7. 

If  you  wish  to  till  a  high  place,  learu  first 
how  to  fill  a  low  one.  If  you  would  be  a  mis- 
tress, learn  how  to  be  a  handmaid.  If  you  de- 
sire to  be  greatest,  learn  to  be  servant  of  all. 
When  you  thoroughly  learn  lowly  work,  and 
prove  yourself  to  be  faithful  in  it,  youwdll  hear 
a  voice  saying,  "Come  up  higher;"  but  it  is 
hard  to  build  a  chimney  from  the  top  down; 
and  this  is  what  many  persons  seem  to  be  trying 
to  do  when  they  spurn  menial  occupations  and 
seek  for  higher  things. 


June  8. 

We  should  think  it  strange  to  see  a  man  dig- 
ging through  heaps  of  gold,  and  shoveling 
aside  pearls  and  gems,  that  he  might  find  be- 
neath them  all  some  withered  weed  or  worthless 
bauble ;  and  yet  this  would  be  quite  as  reason- 
able as  the  course  taken  by  many,  even  among 
the  Lord's  dear  children.  They  spend  their 
money  for  that  w^hich  is  not  bread,  and  their 
labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not ;  and  in  reacli- 
ing  after  things  which  they  cannot  have,  they 
neglect  the  better  blessings  which  are  within 
their  roach. 


June  7. 

Bibhup  Elijah  HcUdiug,  1V80. 


June  8. 


Moliammed,  «lie<l,  C32. 
175 


June  9. 

There  arc  persons  who  ^vonder  that  their 
words  have  no  power.  They  need  not  wonder. 
When  Napoleon  was  asked  which  was  the  best 
style  of  musket,  he  replied,  ' '  It  depends  a  great 
deal  upon  the  man  who  stands  behind  it."  The 
same  thing  might  be  said  of  a  sermon,  an  ex- 
hortation, or  an  admonition.  A  thought 
largely  derives  its  importance  from  the  charac- 
ter of  him  who  has  uttered  it.  Our  first  duty 
is  to  de  what  we  should  be;  then  comes  the  ob- 
ligation to  sat/  and  to  do  the  things  which  God 
requires  at  our  hands. 

June  10. 

No  man  can  say  who  his  brother  or  his  sister 
shall  be.  Brotherhood  does  not  depend  upon 
the  action  of  brethren;  it  springs  from  parent- 
age and  birth.  We  cannot  make  a  man  our 
brother,  nor  can  we  hinder  his  being  our 
brother  if  he  is  our  Father's  child ;  for  the  man 
or  woman  who  is  born  of  God,  is  brother  or 
sister  to  every  child  of  God  on  earth.  Every 
true  Christian  can  say  in  the  language  of  his 
Master,  "Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  saine  is  my 
brother,  and  sister,  and  mother." 

176 


June  9. 

George  Stepheii&oiJ,  inventor  of  locomotive  engines,  1781. 
John  Howard  Payne,  author  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  1792. 


Rachel  Hastings,  died,  1849,  aged  72. 

June  10. 


177 


June  11. 
If  you  ever  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  saying 
to  yourself  what  you  honestly  think  about  your- 
self, you  ought  not  to  make  much  complaint 
even  if  others  should  imitate  your  example, 
and  tell  you  what  they  honestly  think  of  you. 
They  may  be  mistaken  in  their  opinion,  but  by 
comparing  it  with  your  own  and  making  due 
allowances,  you  may  be  able  to  arrive  at  an 
average  conclusion;  and  if  you  succeed  in 
knowing  yourself  thoroughly,  you  will  be  ac- 
quainted with  one  important  branch  of  knowl- 
edge which  many  persons  who  have  ' '  finished 
their  education"  have  never  been  able  to  master. 

June  12. 
If  persons  urge  and .  entreat  us  concerning 
matters  about  which  we  are  not  decided  in  our 
minds,  it  is  better  to  defer  our  decision  and 
wait  until  the  mind  can  regain  its  poise,  and 
our  own  judgment  can  act  and  arrive  at  a  con- 
clusion. Following  the  multitude,  and  listen- 
ing to  the  urgent  persuasion  of  others,  fre- 
quently involves  us  in  many  troubles.  Those 
who  act  calmly,  and  under  the  consciousness  of 
divine  direction,  are  most  likely  to  pursue  the 
course  of  safety,  and  avoid  the  bitterness  of 
repentance  and  regret. 


June  11. 

lieDJiiiDin  Jouson,  poet  laureate,  1574. 


John  Ha.-5lings,  died,  1835,  aged  68. 

June  12. 

Rev.  Charles  Kingsley,  1819.  Harriet  Martineau,  1802 


June  13. 
A  Christian  brother  was  speaking  of  the  diffi- 
culties he  experienced  in  business.  Some  men 
could  incur  liabilities  without  the  prospect  of 
meeting  them,  sell  goods  without  regard  to 
cost,  plunge  into  bankruptcy  and  perhaps  make 
money  out  of  it  all ;  but,  said  he,  ' '  I  cannot  do 
this.  /  have  got  a  man  inside  of  me  that  wonH  let 
me  do  it;  he  talks  to  me  nights  about  it,  and  I 
have  to  do  business  in  a  different  way."  No 
man  is  to  be  envied  who  has  hushed  the  voice 
of  the  "man  inside"  of  him;  the  voice  which 
God  implanted  within  the  human  soul,  and  by 
which  he  speaks  to  guide  us  in  the  path  of  truth 
and  righteousness. 

June  14. 
Beware  of  frivolity ;  let  your  words  represent 
your  thoughts;  speak  not  only  "according  to 
the  oracles  of  God,"  but  also  according  to  the 
convictions  of  your  own  heart.  Avoid  that 
emptiness  and  lightness  of  speech  which  grad- 
ually effaces  the  sharp  distinction  that  should 
exist  between  right  and  wrong,  and  makes  you 
seem  thoughtless,  empty  and  insincere.  Let 
your  words  weigh.,  expressing  the  convictions  of 
your  own  mind,  and  they  will  carry  conviction 
to  the  minds  of  others. 

180 


June  13. 

Gen,  "Wintield  Sqott,  178C.         Thomas  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  1795. 


June  14. 

Thomas  Pennant,  natuialist,  1726. 


Jurxe   15. 

I  heard  of  one  wise  old  man  who,  standing 
at  the  head  of  an  important  religious  interest, 
when  he  seemed  in  the  fullness  of  his  powers, 
resigned  his  position.  His  brethren  objected, 
and  entreated  him  to  reconsider  his  resignation 
and  still  remain  where  he  was.  He  said,  "No; 
you  had  better  let  me  resign  now,  when  I  know 
enough ;  for  by-and-by  when  I  am  older  you 
will  want  me  to  resign,  and  I  shall  not  be  will- 
ing to."  That  man  had  the  wisdom  of  fore- 
sight, which  is  perhaps  the  choicest  wisdom  a 
man  can  possess. 

June  16. 

Secret  prayer  has  its  secret  reward.  True, 
the  Father,  who  seeth  in  secret,  rewards  the 
prayerful  openly ;  but  into  the  secret  hearts  of 
dev^out  and  prayerful  men  God  pours  his  richest 
blessings,  and  his  purest  peace.  They  have 
fellowship  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ.  They  know  that  God  is  near; 
that  he  is  a  Saviour  and  a  friend.  And  as  the 
worldly  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness,  so 
the  believing  heart  has  an  unknown  joy  which 
eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  and  which  no 
stranger  can  disturb  or  intermeddle  with. 

182 


June  15. 

Harriet  Elizabeth  Beecher  Stowe,  1811i. 


June  16. 

Baron  Stow,  1801.       Sir  John  Cheke,  statesman,  1514. 


iSishop  Joseplj  Butler,  died,  1752. 
183 


June  17. 

Let  it  be  confessed  there  is  not  such  ardent 
faith  in  the  church  as  to  awaken  the  slumberer 
— the  church  deserves  Mame^  but  the  loss  is  not 
theirs  alone.  Every  man  must  bear  his  own 
burden,  and  he  who  thinks  to  excuse  his  own 
sins  by  prating  of  others'  sliort-comings,  will 
find  in  the  judgment  that  he  has  made  a  terri- 
ble mistake,  and  that  however  others  may  suf- 
fer blame,  he  also  will  have  both  blame  and 
loss,  and  no  one  can  bear  it  for  him. 


June  18. 

How  many  a  mother  has  piloted  the  family 
through  the  world  by  the  power  of  her  Chris- 
tian love  and  her  nobleness  of  heart  and  life, 
but  for  which  the  home  would  have  drifted  to 
wreckj  and  ruin,  and  perdition.  How  many  a 
sister  has  saved  her  brothers  from  the  lures  of 
vice,  the  paths  of  madness,  and  the  ways  of 
death.  How  many  a  wandering  boy  has  been 
brought  back  from  sin  by  the  recollection  of  a 
sister's  tenderness,  or  the  sacred  memory  of  a 
mother's  prayer. 


184 


June  17. 

John  Wesley,  1703. 


Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  1775. 

June  18. 


June  19. 

They  ^vho  drive  away  sleep  banish  their  best 
friend.  Sleep  is  a  divine  gift,  renewing  our 
lives  from  day  to  day.  Food  furnishes  material 
for  the  restoration  of  our  wasting  frames;  the 
stomach  digests  it  while  we  are  awake ;  but  it 
is  not  until  we  sleep  that  it  is  fully  assimilated 
and  applied ; — the  machinery  must  be  stopped 
in  order  to  be  repaired.  Hence  five  minutes' 
sleejD  w^ill  sometimes  do  more  good  than  hours 
of  rest.  The  weary  child  cries  himself  to  sleep, 
and  awakes  radiant  with  rippling  smiles,  and 
musical  w^th  mirth  and  laughter.  The  sad- 
hearted  and  bereaved  go  weary  to  a  tearful  pil- 
low; but  though  weeping  may  endure  for  a 
night,  joy  cometh  in  the  morning. 

June  20. 

Idleness  not  only  clothes  a  man  with  rag<. 
but  also  demoralizes  all  business,  and  leaves  the 
idler  at  last  with  neither  w^ork  nor  bread.  He 
jokes,  and  fools,  and  tells  stories  when  he 
should  be  working,  and  at  last  learns  that  Sol- 
omon was  not  mistaken  when  he  said,  "In  all 
labor  there  is  profit ;  but  the  talk  of  the  lips 
tendeth  only  to  penury." 


June  19. 

Charles  Haddon  Spiirgeon,  1834. 
Blaise  Pascal,  moralist,  mathematician,  1623. 


June  20. 

Isaac  August  Dorner,  theologian,  1809. 


June  21. 

One  of  the  delusions  of  age  is,  the  hope  of 
growing  young !  Men  cling  to  the  delights  of 
youth,  they  keep  up  its  memories  and  associa- 
tions, and  they  try  to  j)ersuade  themselves  that 
they  are  about  as  young  as  ever ;  but  all  the 
while  gray  hairs  are  thickening  on  their  heads, 
and  they  are  creeping  downward  by  that  slow 
decline  which  must  inevitably  bring  them  to 
the  bottom  of  the  hill.  AYhile  men  are  think- 
ing how  young  they  are,  others  are  talking 
about  how  old  they  are  growing. 


June  22. 

Our  Saviour  seems  to  have  thought  that  swine 
and  demons  were  very  proper  associates ;  so  he 
suffered  the  unclean  spirits  to  enter  the  unclean 
l)easts.  The  same  inile  seems  still  to  hold ;  and 
the  more  a  man  is  like  a  hog  the  more  likely  the 
devils  are  to  enter  him.  The  men  of  Gadara 
w^anted  nothing  to  do  with  any  religion  which 
interfered  with  their  gains.  They  preferred 
swine  to  Gospel,  and  besought  the  Saviour  to 
depart.  Many  would  do  the  same  to-day. 
Business  is  put  before  religion,  and  men  prefer 
their  own  swine  to  the  Lord's  salvation. 

188 


June   21. 

Cishoi.  Matthew  Simpfcuii,  M.  E.  Ch.,  1810. 


June  22. 

Karl  Wilhelm  Humboldt,  statesman,  philologist,  1767. 


189 


June  23. 

It  is  strange  that  persons  who  are  so  careful 
of  their  beasts  will  be  so  careless  of  themselves. 
Many  a  man  endures  enough  to  kill  a  horse, 
and  nothing  would  make  him  more  angry  than 
to  have  others  treat  his  horse  as  he  treats  him- 
self and  his  children,  working  himself  and 
them  when  sick  and  w^eary,  and  enduring  all 
the  rigors  of  a  changeful  climate  in  the  pur- 
suit of  worldly  good.  The  result  is  fine 
horses,  oxen,  cows,  and  sheep,  which  do  credit 
to  their  owner;  but  sickly  men,  women,  and 
children  who  dishonor  their  Creator. 

June  24. 

We  read  of  a  minister  who  wrecked  his  health 
and  plunged  into  the  horrors  of  dyspepsia,  by 
eating  more  food  than  he  needed,  **just  to  save 
it."  Often  children  and  grown  persons  are 
urged  to  eat  beyond  their  needs  on  this  account. 
Over-eating  to  save  food  is  the  poorest  kind  of 
economy.  Every  particle  of  food  taken  into 
the  stomach  must  be  digested,  dissolved, 
changed,  and  carried  through  the  system.  A 
certain  amount  is  needed,  to  repair  the  waste 
that  is  going  on ; — all  beyond  this  amount  clogs 
and  burdens  and  oppresses  both  body  and  mind. 


June  23. 


June  24. 

Theodore  Beza,  reforming  divine,  1519. 
Henvy  Ward  Beecher,  1813.        Rufus  Hatcl),  1832. 
Rear-Admiral  Sir  .John  Ross,  Arctic  navigator,  1777. 


Vespasian,  died,  79. 

191 


June  25. 

The  blessings  of  God  are  Avaiting  for  us  to-- 
day.  Heaven  bends  and  bows  with  the  fullness 
of  a  mercy  that  is  infinite.  God  waits  to  be 
gracious,  and  longs  to  bestow  his  gifts  upon  us. 
He  bids  us  ask  and  receive,  that  our  joy  may  be 
full.  We  are  invited  to  come  near  to  him. 
Nothing  should  stand  between  our  souls  and 
God.  No  pride,  or  honor,  or  love  of  the  world, 
or  desire  for  reputation  or  the  praise  of  men, 
must  ensnare  our  hearts  or  withdraw  our  souls 
from  fellowship  with  him.  We  must  be  wed- 
ded to  the  Lord  for  evermore. 


June  26. 

Human  strength  is  weakness.  Before  adver- 
sity, or  affliction,  or  passion,  it  fails  and  disap- 
points our  trust.  And  the  greater  our  confi- 
dence the  greater  our  disappointment.  When 
we  feel  strong  w^e  are  weak.  AVhen  we  think 
we  stand,  we  are  to  take  heed  lest  w^e  fall. 
Peter,  boasting  of  his  fidelity  and  love,  was 
weak ;  Peter,  weeping  bitterly,  was  taking  hold 
on  strengtli. 


June  25. 


June  26, 

Dr.  Philip  Doddridge,  nonconformist  theoloj^ian,  1702. 


June  27. 

The  Lord  will  not  hear  men  who  regard  in- 
iquity in  their  hearts.  He  cannot  doit  without 
endorsing  and  countenancing  sin.  He  hears 
the  cry  of  need  and  penitence;  but  so  surely 
as  we  in  anything  oppose  the  will  ol  God,  so 
surely  we  bar  ourselves  away  from  his  blessing. 
If  we  would  receive  divine  blessing  we  must 
ask  in  confidence,  or  in  faith.  But  we  cannot 
ask  in  faith  while  w^e  dishonor  God  by  a  diso- 
bedient life. 


June  28. 

Much  of  the  disease  and  pain  which  aflElict 
mankind  is  the  result  of  the  sheerest  careless- 
ness. It  is  easily  avoidable,  and  hence  it  is 
wrong.  An  ambitious  boy  tries  to  do  the  w^ork 
of  a  man,  and  is  praised  for  it  by  greedy  and 
heartless  employers,  who,  for  a  few  hours'  labor, 
allow^  him  to  make  himself  a  wretched,  life-long 
invalid.  A  young  girl  exposes  herself  to  w  et 
and  cold,  and  prides  herself  on  her  bravery  and 
courage ;  but  long  years  of  pain  and  feebleness, 
and  the  sorrows  of  a  ruined  and  shipwrecked 
life,  teach  her  how  foolishly  she  has  cast  away 
the  glory  of  her  strength. 

194 


I 


June  27. 


June  28. 


195 


June  29. 

Self-imposed  infirmities  are  disgraceful  to 
men,  and  dishonorable  to  God.  It  is  a  disgrace 
to  a  man  to  unfit  himself  for  the  highest  possi- 
bilities of  his  nature,  by  gluttony,  by  intemper- 
ance, by  sensuality,  or  by  any  excess.  It  is  a 
dishonor,  to  God  to  abuse  and  disorder  the 
workmanship  of  his  hands,  and  render  it  unfit 
for  use. 


June  30. 

Good  husbands  make  good  wives.  A  good 
wife  is  a  wondrous  blessing;  but  how  few  hus- 
bands have  such  wives  as  they  might  have. 
And  how  many  a  wife,  formed  for  nobleness 
and  purity  and  usefulness,  sinks  down  in  dis- 
couragement and  despair  beneath  her  husband's 
influence.  We  praise  a  noble  wife, — it  is  well, 
— but  what  would  she  be  with  a  different  hus- 
band? AVhat  would  she  be  if,  instead  of  a  lov- 
ing, tender,  gentle,  large-hearted  man,  on  whom 
to  lean,  and  in  whom  to  place  her  highest 
earthly  trust,  she  had  for  her  husband  some 
vile,  low,  drunken,  blasphemous  wretch,  be- 
neath whose  tyranny  and  lust  her  whole  being 
was  trampled,  degraded  and  defiled. 


June  29. 

Sir  Peter  Paul  Rubens,  painter,  1577. 
Rev.  John  Williams,  **  apostle  of  Polynesia,"  1796. 


June  30. 

William  Hepworth  Dixon,  journalist.  1S21. 


The  Joys  Celestial. 

//•om  the  Latin  of  Thomas  a  Kempis,  translated  by  n.  l.  ii. 

Angel  choirs  in  glory  singing, 
To  their  Maker  praises  bringing, 
On  the  King  in  beauty  gazing. 
Hearts  adoring,  voices  praising, 
Harps  and  bells  and  timbrels  chiming. 
Waving  wings,  and  vestments  shining, 
There  before  the  King  of  glory 
Cry  they.  Holy,  holy,  holy! 
Sorrow  fleeth,  anguish  ceaseth. 
Endless  harmony  increaseth : 
Through  that  city  bright,  supernal, 
Sounds  the  song  of  praise  eternal ; 
Love  in  every  bosom  beameth  ; 
Light  on  every  vision  gleameth  : 
Seraphim  there  bow  before  Him  ; 
Crying  Holy,  they  adore  Him. 
Oh,  that  fair  celestial  region! 
Oh,  that  bright  and  beauteous  legion  1 
Angel  hosts  and  saints  immortal 
Throng  within  yon  pearly  portal! 
Tranquil;  free  from  all  disorders; 
Light  and  peace  in  all  their  bordert^; 
There  in  majesty  and  glory 
They  adore  the  Lord  most  holy. 
They  wlio  dwell  amid  that  brightness 
Shine  in  robes  of  sun-like  whiteness 
Loving  law,  and  linked  in  union, 
Bound  in  holy,  sweet  communiun  ; 
Toil  and  ignorance  are  banished, 
Troubles  and  temptations  vanished; 
Full  of  health,  and  free  from  sadnes.-^, 
Gt)d  they  praise,  the  Fount  of  gladness. 
19S 


The  Sea-Shore. 


Away  to  the  shore !    where  the  bright  waters  dash, 
Where  the  incoming  waves  toss  and  sparkle  and  sj^lash. 
Where  sea-weeds  and  sea-shells  bestrew  the  broad  strand, 
And  the  proud  surges  halt  at  the  beck  of  the  sand. 

How  sweet  the  cool  breezes  float  over  the  bay. 
To  temper  the  heat  of  the  midsummer  day  ; 
How  pretty  the  pebbles  cast  up  on  the  shore, 
How  solemn  the  waves  with  their  murmur  and  roar. 

Away  in  the  distance  go  ships  gliding  by, — 
Their  masts  stand  like  reeds  on  the  face  of  the  sky — 
Some  bound  for  their  harbors  in  far  distant  lands. 
Some  doomed  to  be  wrecked  on  the  rocks  and  the  sands. 

How  solemn  the  sea  as  we  stand  on  its  brink, 
And  our  laughter  is  hushed  as  we  wonder  and  think 
Of  an  ocean  more  grand;  though  we  hear  not  its  roar, 
For  its  billows  break  high  on  eternity's  shore. 

Soon,  soon  oiu"  frail  barques  shall  be  sailing  away 
To  the  darkness  of  night  or  the  regions  of  day ; 
l>ut  with  Christ  for  our  pilot,  His  word  for  our  guide, 
All  the  tempests  and  storms  we  shall  safely  outride. 

We  fear  not  the  sea,  though  it  tosses  and  rolls, 

Since  the  hope  sure  and  steadfast  lias  anchored  our  souls, 

And  the  bright  star  of  promise  illumines  our  way 

To  the  isles  of  the  blest  in  the  regions  of  dav. 


July  1. 

Health  aud  happiness  are  nearly  related  to 
each  other.  When  one  is  lost  the  other  fre- 
quently departs.  Hence  health,  as  well  as  hap- 
piness, is  a  Chiistian  duty,  and  this  is  none  the 
less  important  because  it  is  so  little  understood. 
Ignorance  of  this  duty  leaves  men  to  pursue, 
without  restraint  or  hesitation,  such  courses  of 
imprudence,  indulgence,  and  excess,  as  with  all 
the  certainty  of  mathematical  sequence  lead  to 
infirmity,  imbecility,  bodily  disease  and  prema- 
ture and  suicidal  death. 


July  2. 

Do  not  worm  out  secrets  or  pry  iuto  other 
people's  faults.  Conduct  yourself  prudently, 
and  you  will  have  all  the  secrets  you  will  wish 
for,  entrusted  to  you.  Do  not  make  many 
promises  to  keep  secrets.  Some  things  it  would 
be  wrong  to  know  and  not  reveal.  Say  to  a 
person  of  doubtful  character,  ^*I  cannot  prom- 
ise to  keep  secret  what  perhaps  ought  not  to  be 
so  kept."  Let  your  reputation  for  discretion 
be  sucli  that  no  promise  need  be  exacted  when 
delicate  matters  are  confided  to  you. 
200 


I 


J 


July  1. 


July  2. 

Friedrich  Gottlieb  Klopstock,  poet,  1724. 
Aichb'p.  Thomas  Cranmer.  1489. 


201 


July  3. 

Many  persons  mistake  flattery  for  friendship, 
and  regard  candor  as  a  mark  of  ill-will.  The 
flatterer  praises  to  please.  The  true  friend  re- 
proves to  profit.  The  true  friend  does  not 
flatter,  when  he  sees  reproof  and  criticism  are 
needed;  and  a  pure  and  upright  nature  is  un- 
willing either  to  flatter  or  to  be  flattered.  Those 
who  flatter  to  the  face  often  slander  behind  the 
back ;  while  those  who  reprove  faithfully  in 
our  presence  are  the  most  staunch  defenders  of 
the  absent  when  others  assail  them. 

July  4. 

Carelessness  of  the  feelings,  the  interests,  and 
the  rights  of  others,  may  seem  to  us  a  token  of 
our  independence ;  but  it  will  soon  bring  re- 
sults fatal  to  our  happiness  and  our  comfort. 
If  we  say  what  we  like,  we  shall  hear  what  we 
do  not  like;  and  if  we  do  what  pleases  us, 
others  will  do  what  will  not  please  us.  If  we 
insist  on  having  our  own  way,  we  shall  find  it 
the  hardest  way  we  ever  did  have ;  and  in  tak- 
ing too  good  care  of  ourselves,  the  Lord  will 
get  very  little  chance  to  take  care  of  us.  Love 
will  make  friends,  indifference  will  make  stran- 
gers, and  hatred  will  make  foes. 
202 


I 


July  3. 

Friedrich  Overbtck,  painter,  178'J. 


July  4. 

Xathanael  Hawthorne,  1804. 


Quiet  and  diet  are  the  best  medicines.  On 
the  grave-stone  of  one  man  was  inscribed,  * '  1 
was  well,  wanted  to  be  better,  took  physic,  and 
here  I  am.''  A  person  has  a  hoarseness  of  the 
voice.  If  he  would  keep  the  mouth  shut  for 
twenty-four  hours,  not  speaking  at  all,  or  never 
above  a  whisper,  the  trouble  would  disappear ; 
but  no !  he  must  talk  and  sing  and  dose,  until 
the  difficulty  is  aggravated  and  assumes  a  criti- 
cal or  a  chronic  form,  and  he  has  trouble  as 
long  as  he  lives.  Often  quiet  and  repose  would 
])e  an  ample  remedy  for  this  and  many  other 
difficulties. 

July  6. 
If  it  is  right  to  seek  salvation  at  all,  it  is  right 
to  seek  it  to-day.  If  it  is  right  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian on  a  death-bed,  it  is  right  to  be  a  Christian 
now.  If  it  is  right  to  do  this,  it  is  wrong  not 
to  do  it.  And  if  it  is  right  to  be  a  Christian 
now,  it  is  wrong  to  defer  it  for  a  single  hour. 
Grod  calls  men  to  come  to  him  to-day.  When 
a  parent  calls  a  child,  every  moment  of  useless 
delay  in  answering  or  obeying  is  a  moment  of 
impudence  and  disrespect.  So  every  hour  you 
delay  your  obedience  is  an  hour  of  insult,  pre- 
sumption, and  sin. 


July  5. 

Adiiiiral  Da\  iil  Glascoe  Farrugut,  U.  S.  N.,  1801. 


July  6. 

John  Huss,  Bohemian  reformer,  1373. 
John  Flaxman,  sculptor,  1755. 


July  7. 

A  little  cliild  is  a  precious  trust,  no  mattci' 
how  frail  or  feeble  it  may  be.  God  has  im- 
planted within  the  parental  heart  a  deep  and 
yearning  love,  which  is  intensified  by  all  the 
feebleness  and  frailty  and  helplessness  of  in- 
fancy, and  which  seeks  if  possible  to  preserve 
and  nurture  the  faint  and  flickering  life.  And 
as  in  the  realm  of  nature,  so  in  the  domain  of 
grace.  The  little  ones  that  believe  in  Christ, 
lightly  as  they  may  be  esteemed  by  the  great 
and  proud,  are  yet  of  untold  importance.  Many 
a  feeble  child  of  faith  grows  up  into  a  Chris- 
tian maturity  wiiich  astonishes  those  who  have 
despised  the  day  of  small  things. 


July  8. 

^'The  art  of  forgetting''  is  one  of  great  im- 
portance, and  is  not  easily  learned.  A  school- 
boy said  he  had  a  bad  memory,  but  he  had  *'a 
first-rate  forgettery ;"  but  the  trouble  with 
many  of  us  is  we  forget  the  things  we  should 
remember,  and  remember  many  things  which  it 
would  be  well  for  us  to  foro-et. 


July  7. 


John  Hiiss,  burned,  1415. 

July  8. 

Jean  de  la  Fontaine,  fabulist.  1621. 


July  9. 
Long  visits,  long  stories,  long  sermons,  long 
exhortations,  and  long  prayers,  seldom  profit. 
Life  is  short.  Time  is  short.  Moments  are 
precious.  Learn  to  condense,  abridge,  and  in- 
tensify. We  can  bear  things  that  are  dull  if 
they  are  not  too  long.  We  can  endure  many 
an  ache  and  ill  if  it  is  over  soon;  but  even 
pleasure  grows  insipid,  and  pain  intolerable,  if 
they  are  protracted  beyond  the  limits  of  reason 
and  convenience.  Learn  to  be  short.  Talk  to 
the  point.  If  you  pray,  ask  for  what  you  be- 
lieve you  will  receive,  and  get  through.  If  you 
speak,  stick  to  the  main  facts,  tell  your  message 
and  hold  your  peace.  If  you  wTite,  boil  down 
two  sentences  into  one,  and  three  words  into 
two.     Learn  to  be  short. 

July  10. 
Some  books  are  for  the  young ;  some  for  the 
old ;  some  for  the  rich ;  some  for  the  poor ;  some 
for  the  wise;  some  for  the  ignorant;  some  for 
the  sick ;  some  for  the  well ;  some  for  the  joy- 
ous ;  some  for  the  sad ;  some  for  the  living;  some 
for  the  dying ;  all  are  circumscribed  to  special 
classes,  — the  Bible  alone  is  a  book  for  all,  and 
contains  something  fitted  to  every  need,  and 
answering'  to  ovorv  heart  and  to  every  condition. 


July  9. 

r.  p.  Blibs,  I808.         Henry  Hallam,  historian,  1777. 


July  10. 

Joliu  Calvin,  1509.     Sir  William  Blackstone,  1723. 


July  11. 

The  best  time  to  clean  up  grudges  is  now, 
right  on  the  spot.  As  soon  as  you  see  you  have 
done  a  wrong,  right  it ; — as  soon  as  you  see  a 
wrong  in  another,  reprove  it.  If  you  have  a 
difficulty,  a  complaint,  or  a  grievance,  settle  it 
at  once ;— ' '  let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your 
wrath."  This  piling  up  old  grudges  as  they 
do  dirty  linen  in  some  countries,  and  having 
washing-day  come  only  twice  a  year,  is  very 
poor  policy  for  the  children  of  the  Most  High. 


July  12. 

Beware  of  craft.  By  it  many  have  fallen. 
Oh,  it  is  pitiful  to  see  a  man  dig  down  his  own 
character,  and  destroy  his  own  reputation,  and 
leave  his  children,  for  a  blot  and  a  hissing,  a 
name  that  might  have  been  honored  far  and 
near  in  life,  and  had  in  sweet  remembrance  in 
after  times,  when  all  life's  toils  were  o'er. 
Jesus  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his 
mouth.  He  is  the  pattern  for  his  disciples. 
He  walked  the  straight  path.  Let  us  follow 
him  and  all  will  l)e  well. 


July  11. 

Piesideut  John  Quiucy  AUaujb,  1707. 


July  12. 

Cains  Julius  C;iesar,  100  B,  C. 
.Jo.«iah  Wedgewood,  potter,  1730. 


Mrs.  Tonna  (Charlotte  Elizabeth),  died,  1840. 
211 


July  13. 

Know  your  business  thoroughly.  Do  it  faith- 
fully. Avoid  disputes  and  strifes.  Keep  your 
own  secrets.  Mind  your  own  affairs,  and  let 
others  mind  theirs.  Be  courteous  to  all.  Con- 
fide in  few.  Do  right  at  all  hazards.  Think 
more  of  what  a  man  is,  than  of  what  he  has. 
Never  try  to  outrun  God's  providence.  Do  not 
waste  strength  in  fretting  at  unavoidable  evils. 
When  you  are  annoyed  do  not  make  a  fuss 
about  it.  Keep  a  cheerful  heart  and  a  calm 
countenance.  Be  temperate  in  all  things. 
Give  what  God  requires,  and  do  not  be  coaxed 
to  do  more  because  others  do.  Listen  to  ad- 
visers, but  let  God  be  your  first  and  last  coun- 
selor in  every  case. 


July  14. 

Some  people  give  prayers  without  alms, — 
others  give  alms  without  prayers ;  but  as  prayer 
without  effort  is  as  vain  as  effort  without 
prayer,  the  better  way  seems  to  be  to  put 
prayer  and  alms  together,  thus  praying  and  . 
giving,  and  giving  and  praying. 


212 


i 


July  13. 

F.  A.  Krummacher,  17i 


July  14. 

diiial  Julius  Mazaiin,  1602. 


Ba.-stile  destroyed,  ITS'J. 
213 


July  15. 

Not  quite  so  rough  and  boisterous ;  dou't  you 
know  that  there  is  some  delicate  human  crock- 
ery about  you?  You  may  break  more  in  a  min- 
ute than  you  can  mend  in  a  month.  You  maj- 
have  befooled  yourself  into  the  idea  that  your 
harshness  is  a  sign  of  greatness,  but  you  are 
quite  mistaken.  The  truest-tempered  blades 
have  the  smoothest  edges,  and  the  razor  that . 
has  an  edge  like  a  handsaw  is  good  for  nothinof  I 
but  pulling  hair. 


July  16. 

Be  gentle,  you  teachers  and  preachers,  — we  | 
like  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  but  we  don't  1 
wish  it  curdled  by  your  cross  looks,  neither  do  J 
we  want  it  rammed  down  our  necks  in  the  shape  j 
of  icicles,  or  flung  in  frozen  chunks  at  our  poor  j 
devoted  heads.  Hand  it  out  sweet  and  warm, 
and  in  an  edible  and  drinkable  condition,  and 
we  will  let  you  see  how  much  we  like  it. 


I 


July  15. 

Cardiual  Henry  Edward  Mauniuy,  IbW. 


July  16. 

Sir  Jor^hua  Reynolds,  painter,  1723. 


July  17. 

"Come  unto  Me!  "  There  is  a  strange  direct- 
ness in  the  invitation.  It  is  not  to  go  here  or 
to  go  there,  to  seek  this  or  to  seek  that,  to  ob- 
tain help  in  this  direction  or  in  that,  but  it  is 
simply,  ^^  Come  unto  Me!''''  In  Christ  is  our 
help,  he  can  give  us  all  we  need.  In  him  is 
peace,  in  him  is  rest,  in  him  is  consolation. 
From  the  world's  wild  deluge  of  cares  and  woes . 
he  is  our  only  refuge ;  from  the  weakness  of  the^ 
flesh  and  weariness  of  the  spirit,  he  alone  can 
give  sweet  release. 

July  18. 

Many  a  disgraced  and  ruined  man  might  have 
been  prospered,  honored,  and  blessed,  if  he  had 
been  driven  tcitJi  hard  icorlc^  instead  of  being 
left  to  amuse  himself  playing  the  loafer  among 
men,  or  the  dandy  among  women.  A  tent- 
maker's  three-cornered  needle,  or  even  an  old 
apostolic  fishing-net,  a  wood-saw,  or  a  spade, 
and  a  sufl[icient  pressure  of  poverty  to  induce 
their  vigorous  use,  would  be  far  more  conducive 
to  spiritual  health  than  diligent  daily  exercise 
with  a  croquet-mallet,  or  regular  employment 
at  "  bottoming  chairs  "  in  some  rendezvous  for 
wags,  loafers  and  story-tellers. 

216 


July  17. 

Johu  Jacul»  Astor,  merchant,  17G3,        Isaac  Watt*;,  1674. 


July  18. 

Immaniiel  Hermann  Fichte.  philosopher,  1707 
Gilbert  White,  naturalist,  1720. 


July  19. 

The  devil  is  usually  very  careful  about  the 
health  of  Christians.  People  may  work  them- 
selves to  death,  dance  themselves  to  death, 
drink  themselves  to  death,  or  gorge  themselves 
to  death,  and  he  has  no  fault  to  find;  but  if  a 
person  should  injure  his  health  of  body  or  mind 
by  an  excessive  exertion  in  the  gospel  work, 
then  there  is  trouble  enough,  and  an  outcry  is 
raised  from  Dan  to  Beersheba. 


July  20. 

Forgiveness  is  cheaper  tlian  revenge,  and  is 
sweeter  and  more  valuable.  Prudence,  as  well 
as  piety,  counsels  quiet  to  men  under  reproof 
or  reproach.  If  a  bee  stings  you,  would  you 
destroy  it?  Would  not  a  thousand  come  upon 
you?  If  you  receive  a  trifling  injury  do  not  be 
too  anxious  to  avenge  it.  Let  it  drop.  It  is 
wisdom  to  say  little  respecting  the  injuries  you 
have  received.  When  enemies  see  that  they 
have  hit  you,  they  know  where  to  strike  next 
time,  but  warfare  is  tame  if  no  one  appears  to 
be  hurt. 

218 


July  19. 

John  Martin,  pamter.  178'J. 


July  20. 

Francesco  Petrarch,  poet.  1304. 


Qiit 


July  21. 
If  a  man  has  tumbled  into  the  gutter  I  can 
get  square  with  him  by  lying  down  by  his  side, 
and  besmearing  myself  as  thoroughly  as  he  has. 
So  I  can  get  square  with  a  man  who  has 
wronged  me  by  wronging  him, — in  other  words 
I  can  make  myself  as  mean  and  despicable  as 
he  has  himself,  and  thus  get  square  with  him : 
but  what  do  I  gain?  There  are  now^  two  mean 
men  where  there  was  one  before  I  Two  liars 
where  there  was  one!  Two  slanderers  where 
there  was  one !  And  in  trying  to  get  square  with 
my  neighbor,  I  have  disgraced  and  degraded 
myself. 

July  22. 
It  is  true  that  all  men  may  know  more  than 
one  man  may  know,  but  it  is  also  true  that  one 
man  may  know  more  than  ten  men :  and  that 
one  man,  informed  upon  a  given  point,  may 
know  more  than  ten  thousand  men  who  are 
ignorant  concerning  it.  Hence,  in  estimating 
the  strength  or  weakness  of  a  position,  we  must 
leave  numbers  out  of  the  question.  The  strong- 
est side  is  the  true  side ;  the  safest  side  in  all 
great  questions  is  the  right  side ;  and  the  finally 
victorious  side  is  the  side  of  God.  of  truth  and 
righteousness. 


July  21. 

Jacques  Olfenbach,  1819.        Matthew  Prior,  poet,  1664. 


Robt.  Burns,  died,  1796. 


July  22. 

Anthony  Ashley  Cooper,  first  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  1621. 
Giuseppe  Garibaldi,  1807. 


July  23. 

There  is  a  time  to  be  silent.  We  are  to  bo 
always  ^ '  ready  to  give  to  every  man  that  asketJi^ 
a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  within  us.  But  it 
does  not  follow^  that  we  are  to  be  eternally  pes- 
tering and  tormenting,  and  bumble-beeing 
about  those  who  do  not  asl^,  and  are  not  willing 
to  receive  a  reason  for  the  Christian  hope.  We 
are  to  follow  the  example  of  Him  who  did  not 
strive,  nor  cry,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard 
in  the  streets,  but  who,  in  lowliness  and 
humility,  radiated  light  and  blessing  on  every 
hand.  Our  w^orks  may  convince  some  on  whom 
our  word?  would  wasted. 


July  24. 

The  service  of  God  is  a  service  of  loving 
liberty.  His  yoke  is  easy  and  his  burden  is 
light.  The  only  restraints  which  he  imposes 
are  those  required  for  our  own  preservation  and 
well-being.  Our  abuse  of  freedom  calls  for 
fresh  restraints ;  and  the  wrong  we  do  ourselves 
and  others  requires  the  interposition  of  Divine 
authority.  Hence  every  wrong  act  impairs  our 
freedom.  They  who  will  not  be  loving  servants 
of  the  Lord  soon  become  the  degraded  bond- 
slaves of  the  devil. 


July  23. 


July  24. 

John  Philpot  Cuvraii.  Tiish  banister,  1750. 


July  2H. 

Many  a  man  in  business  looks  back  and 
thinks,  ''I  would  give  thousands  to-day  for  the 
information  which  would  have  cost  very  little 
had  I  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of  gaining  it  in 
my  youth.  But  it  is  too  late  now.  Then  time 
was  plenty,  but  now  in  the  rush  and  hurry  of 
active  life,  time  is  too  short,  cares  are  too  press- 
ing, and  I  can  never  do  what  I  might  have  done, 
or  be  what  I  might  have  been."  Let  those  who 
thus  feel  their  own  deficiences,  persuade  and 
encourage  those  who  are  younger  to  improve 
life's  morning,  that  by  using  all  diligence  in 
seed-time  they  may  rejoice  when  the  harvest 
comes. 

July  26. 

It  is  a  positive  disgrace  to  any  girl  to  marry 
when  unfitted  for  the  duties  of  domestic  life. 
It  is  as  much  a  shame  as  for  a  dunce  to  open 
an  academy,  a  landsman  to  undertake  to  com- 
mand a  ship,  or  a  cobbler  to  try  to  build  a 
cathedral.  It  is  taking  an  important  position 
when  unable  to  properly  perform  its  duties,  and 
betraying  the  trust  of  the  confiding  by  acting 
the  part  of  an  incompetent  and  an  impostor. 


July  25. 


July  26 


225 


July  27. 

There  are  no  arguments  like  facts ;  and  God's 
providences  are  facts.  Ten  thousand  voices 
from  the  past  proclaim  them  to  the  world,  and 
ten  thousand  voices  from  the  living  present 
echo  and  indorse  the  proclamation.  And  this 
evidence  is  cumulative.  If  every  trace  and 
record  of  God's  providences  up  to  to-day  were 
instantly  blotted  out  and  forgotten,  new  facts 
would  be  developed  to-morrow,  and  living  men 
and  women  would  at  once  arise  and  testify  to 
fresh  experiences  of  the  gracious  guidance  of 
tlie  unseen  hand  of  God. 


July  28. 

A  man  who  has  truth  in  the  inward  parts, 
who  lives  an  upright  and  transparent  life,  is 
honest,  frank  and  outspoken.  And  while  he  is 
under  no  sort  of  obligation  to  tell  all  he  knows, 
or  confide  his  affairs  to  meddling  busy-bodies, 
yet  when  he  speaks  he  speaks  words  of  truth 
and  soberness,  and  tells  the  truth  as  it  is,  and 
states  facts  as  they  are.  On  the  other  hand, 
men  who  are  wedded  to  poUcy^  and  are  contin- 
ually looking  out  for  consequences,  can  rarely 
l)e  depended  upon  to  state  facts  correctly,  or 
answer  questions  honestly. 


July  27. 

Thomas  Campbell,  poet,  1777. 


July  28. 


227 


July  29. 
If  you  want  to  keep  your  place,  make  your- 
self so  generally  useful  and  profitable  to  your 
employer  that  he  cannot  get  along  without  you, 
and  yet  be  so  quiet  and  unassuming  that  he 
will  have  no  trouble  in  getting  along  with  you, 
and  then  you  will  be  likely  to  stay  till  you  wish 
to  leave,  instead  of  going  when  some  one  else 
wants  you  to  go.  The  way  to  keep  a  place 
is  to  fill  it ; — and  if  it  is  too  small  for  you,  run 
over  a  little  into  some  vacant  place,  till  you 
find  a  bigger  one.  The  men  who  can  be  spared 
are  the  men  who  are  in  constant  fear  of  doing 
loo  much. 

July  30. 
How  many  a  man  will  behave  himself  for 
weeks  either  to  win  a  smile  from  some  face 
which  has  shamed  his  evil  conduct  by  its  honest 
and  rebuking  glance,  or  to  regain  the  esteem  of 
some  earnest  woman,  who  has  told  him  ''what 
was  what.''  But  a  woman  must  have  character 
if  she  would  have  influence.  Show,  sham, 
and  pretense  are  not  enough;  there  must  be 
reality,  w^eight,  and  worth.  She  must  stand 
above  others  if  she  would  beckon  them  upward 
to  a  better  and  higher  life,  and  should  be  a  pat 
tern  of  those  virtues  which  she  would  inculcate, 


J 


July  29. 


July  30. 

Saiuuel  Rogers,  poet,  1763. 


J'jly  31. 
Society  having  licensed  men  to  make  folks 
insane,  appoints  other  men  to  take  care  of  the 
madmen,  to  protect  society  from  their  frenzied 
rage,  and  to  lock  them  up  behind  iron  bars  till 
their  madness  has  subsided.  They  cannot  watch 
them  constantly ;  they  may  guard  society  in  the 
streets,  but  how  little  can  they  do  for  the  poor 
wretches  who,  once  within  their  homes,  rave  as 
if  seven  demons  possessed  them,  and  abuse 
and  murder  those  they  have  vowed  to  cherish 
and  protect.  An  hour's  time  and  a  shilling's 
worth  of  poison  will  transform  a  quiet,  inoffen- 
sive man  into  a  wild,  raving  maniac,  and  send 
him  howling  through  the  streets  like  a  mad- 
man, or  raving  like  a  demon  into  the  home 
which  once  was  full  of  happiness  and  peace. 


July  31. 

Rev.  John  Hall,  D.D.,  1820. 


231 


^M0«JSt. 


Purge  Me  with  Hyssop. 

Not  by  tlie  blood  tbat  on  altars  is  poured, 
Fresh  from  the  beast  as  a  sacritice  slain. 

Shall  the  lost  sinner  draw  near  to  the  Lord, 
Seeking  his  pardon  and  mercy  to  gain. 

Once,  when  the  passover  lamb  had  been  slain, 
liranches  of  hyssop  were  dipped  in  the  gore  ; 

Dashed  on  the  lintels,  they  scattered  the  st-ain. 
Then  the  death-angel  knocked  not  at  that  door. 

So  on  the  leprous,  unclean  and  defiled, 
Branches  of  liyssop  the  crimson  stain  strewed  ; 

Purged  from  disease,  like  the  flesh  of  a  child, 
Lepers  were  cleansed  and  in  beauty  renewed. 

Altars  are  perished,  and  passovers  gone; 

Priests  now  no  longer  the  sacrifice  slay; 
Hyssop  and  sprinkling  no  longer  are  known, — 

Shadows  grow  faint  with  the  dawning  of  day. 

Christ,  for  our  sins,  was  a  sacrifice  slain. 
Once  for  the  world  he  expired  on  the  tree. 

When  the  death-angel  beholds  his  blood's  stain, 
He  shall  pass  over  and  we  shall  be  free. 

Oh  let  that  blood  which  for  sinners  was  spilt, 
Now  to  our  hearts  by  thy  grace  be  applied; 

Purging  sin's  leprosy,  cleansing  its  guilt, 
Through  the  rich  mercy  of  Jesus  who  died. 

Dark  are  the  stains  that  thy  pure  eye  hath  seen, 
Many  the  sins  that  thou  only  dost  know; 

'*  Purge  me  with  hyssop  and  I  shall  be  clean, 
Wash  mo,  an«l  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.'* 
233 


August  1. 

Intelligeuce  and  iuformatioii  are  not  hercdi 
tary.  The  son  of  a  philosopher  may  be  an 
ignoramus.  The  wisest  men  must  teach  their 
children  the  simplest  elements  of  knowledge, 
or  allow  them  to  grow  up  in  ignorance  of  all 
that  they  themselves  have  learned.  The  fact 
that  Christian  men  have  investigated  and  set- 
tled for  themselves  the  great  problems  of  faith 
and  duty,  avails  nothing  for  others,  even  those 
most  dear  to  them,  who  need,  each  for  them- 
selves, to  re-examine  and  re-settle  the  same 
questions.  Hence  the  foundation  facts  of 
Christianity  require  constant  re-statement,  if 
we  would  save  the  young  from  doubt  and 
unbelief. 


August  2. 
He  who  reads  one  book  can  read  others.  He 
who  knows  one  man  can  know  others.  Know 
yourself,  and  you  will  know  those  around  you. 
But  if  you  know  not  yourself  you  are  very  cer- 
tain to  know  no  one  else  as  you  should  know 
them. 

234 


August  1. 

George  Ticknor,  17'Jl. 


Dr.  Fiobt.  ^loiTison,  first  missionary  to  the  Chinese,  died,  1834. 

August  2. 

Cardinal  Nicholas  Wiseman,  1802. 


236 


August  3. 

Even  Christians  put  aside  matters  of  intense 
and  eternal  interest,  saying  we  have  no  time  to 
attend  to  these  things.  But  whose  is  the  time 
that  ice  have?  Who  hath  given  time,  life, 
health,  probation  and  opportunity?  Whose 
hand  holds  back  the  sword  that  might  cut  us 
down,  the  arrow  that  might  lay  us  low^?  Shall 
we,  living  in  God's  w^orld,  subsisting  on  his 
bouuty,  depending  on  his  goodness,  having  in 
ourselves  neither  strength,  nor  power,  nor  op- 
portunity, refuse  his  heavenly  calls,  and  claim 
that  we  have  no  thne  to  attend  to  His  command- 
ments? 


August  4. 
When  the  grave  opens,  and  we  deposit  there 
the  blessed  forms  of  those  we  love,  it  is  good 
to  know  that  the  gates  shall  open  again,  and 
that  not  at  the  command  of  an  enemy,  but  at 
the  bidding  of  a  friend.  For  He  who  giveth 
life,  and  who  giveth  little  ones  to  be  life's  solace 
and  life's  joy,  has  also  given  a  promise  to  res- 
cue them  from  the  hand  of  the  destroyer,  from 
the  shades  of  death. 


August  3. 

Christine  Nilssou,  16-i'o. 


August  4. 

Percy  Bysshe  Shelley,  poet,  1702. 


August  5. 
I  have  never  observed  or  learned  that  rich 
men  are  on  the  whole  to  be  envied  more  than 
others.  They  are  no  wiser,  healthier,  or  hap- 
pier than  many  others.  They  cannot  enjoy 
their  food,  or  their  raiment,  or  their  rest — the 
gratifications  of  natural  appetites,  or  of  grand 
and  intellectual  desires,  better  than  many  others 
who  have  not  their  wealth.  Besides,  wealth 
costs  labor  in  getting,  care  in  keeping,  misery 
in  wasting,  penury  in  hoarding,  and  perdition 
in  loving  it.  No  hope  of  such  an  uncertain 
and  equivocal  object  as  this,  can  be  worthy  of 
my  heart's  longings. 

August  6. 
Plenty  of  leaders  will  allow  you  to  be  the 
next  greatest  man  in  the  crowd,  provided  you 
will  help  them  to  be  the  greatest.  Place  them 
at  the  head,  and  you  may  stand  next.  Give 
them  the  throne,  and  you  may  occupy  the  foot- 
stool. But  unless  you  make  them  greatest,  you 
are  nowhere  and  nobody.  Do  not  doit.  They 
are  not  the  greatest  men  in  creation,  nor  are 
you  the  next  greatest.  Great  men  do  not  need 
to  be  exalted.  Gold  requires  no  gilding;  it  is 
this  brass  and  bogus  stuff  which  requires  so 
mucli  galvanizinof  and  burnishing. 


August  5. 

Prof.  Robwell  Dwight  Hitchcock,  D.D.,  LL.  P..  1817 


August  6. 

Nicolas  Malebranche.  philosopher.  iaS8. 


August  7. 

If  a  thing  needs  doing,  go  and  do  it.  Do 
not  waste  time  in  waiting  for  others,  or  in  try- 
ing to  put  brains  into  stupid  heads,  or  zeal  into 
careless  hearts.  Do  not  spend  your  strength  in 
idle  dreaming,  or  in  mere  enthusiastic  utter- 
ances. We  have  no  book  of  the  resolutions  of 
the  apostles,  but  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  a 
wondrous  story  of  their  heroic  and  successful 
faith. 


August  8. 

The  devil's  road  is  all  down  hill.  No  matter 
how^  high  up  a  person  may  start,  so  surely  as  he 
walks  the  devil's  path  he  finds  it  a  continual 
descent  leading  to  fathomless  depths.  Espe- 
cially is  this  true  in  the  case  of  those  who  are 
enchained  by  the  mocking  witchery  of  the  in- 
toxicating cup.  There  may  be  no  indications 
of  impending  danger  or  trouble,  when  the 
jeweled  hand  of  youth  and  beauty  lifts  the 
sparkling  beverage  to  the  ruby  lips,  or  extends 
the  wine-glass  to  some  gay  and  gallant  friend ; 
and  yet  tliis  is  the  first  act  in  a  drama  of  misery, 
the  outcome  of  which  is  woeful  enough  to  break 
a  lieart  of  stone. 


August  7. 


August  8. 


August  9. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  rightly  to  estimate  the 
consequences  of  any  sinful  act.  That  which 
may  seem  of  the  smallest  moment  to  us,  is  per- 
haps the  most  important  event  in  our  whole 
lives.  The  waving  of  the  banner  may  effect 
more  than  the  firing  of  a  gun ;  and  some  twink- 
ling beacon  light,  lit  by  a  childish  hand  upon 
the  distant  hill,  may  be  fraught  with  greater 
consequences  than  the  fierce  onset  of  ten  thou- 
sand men. 


August  10. 

Grandeur  is  not  happiness,  nor  does  exalted 
station  bestow^  blessedness  or  peace.  The  high- 
est mountains  are  thrones  of  icy  barrenness. 
They  gleam  with  regal  beauty,  but  are  never 
clothed  with  verdure  or  with  fruit,  xind  for 
human  sustenance  and  human  habitation,  one 
sweet  little  valley  is  worth  more  than  all  the 
snow-crowned  peaks  that  lift  their  imperial 
splendoi's  beneath  the  starry  skies.  It  is  he 
Avho  is  ''meek  and  lowly  in  lieart"  who  gives 
rest  to  lieavy-laden  souls. 

242 


August  9. 

Adoniiam  Judsuu,  1788.         Johu  Diydeii,  [joet,  1031. 


August  10. 

Rev.  John  S.  Inskin,  lbl6. 


August  11. 

When  people  have  shown  themselves  unfit 
for  freedom,  then  they  must  feel  the  hand  of 
power,  and  bow  to  force,  since  they  would  not 
yield  to  love.  Those  who  are  fit  for  freedom 
keep  it;  those  who  are  unfit  to  enjoy  it  lose  it. 
He  who  w^ill  faithfully  serve  God  needs  no 
other  master;  he  who  refuses  Christ's  easy 
yoke,  must  needs  wear  Satan's  hard  one. 


August  12. 

If  strong-minded  men  are  coaxed  into  rum 
shops  and  made  crazy,  while  weak-minded 
w^omen  go  to  prayer  meetings  and  come  home 
sane;  if  strong-minded  men  are  enticed  into 
gambling  dens  and  fleeced  out  of  their  thou- 
sands, while  weak-minded  women  are  content 
with  the  luxury  of  a  cup  of  tea  at  a  ten-cent 
sewing  circle;  who  shall  say  that  the  weakness 
of  women  is  not  stronger  than  the  strength  of 
men,  and  that  the  foolishness  of  women  is  not 
wiser  than  the  wisdom  of  men? 

244 


August  11. 


August  12. 

Rev.  Kowiand  Hill,  1744.         Robert  Soiithey,  poet,  1774. 


The  rough  seas  make  the  good  sailor;  and 
nothiug  but  battles  can  produce  veterans  fit  for 
the  fiercest  fights.  An  untried  man  is  but  half 
a  man.  His  strength  has  never  been  tested. 
His  powers  are  unrevealed.  Only  in  the  deep 
waters  can  we  know  the  strong  swimmer's  skill. 
Only  the  fury  of  the  hurricane  can  show  the 
might  of  the  eagle's  wing.  And  as  only  temp- 
tation and  trial  can  reveal  our  weakness  and 
our  strength,  so  nothing  else  can  disclose  to  us 
the  power  of  Him  who  watches  us  in  our  trials, 
who  helps  us  in  all  our  infirmities. 


August  14. 

The  grandest  forces  in  this  world  are  silent 
and  unperceived.  They  operate  unnoticed  but 
yet  with  resistless  power.  A  child's  tin  trumpet 
makes  more  noise  than  the  attraction  of  gravi- 
tation, which  binds  the  whole  universe  as  with 
chains  of  adamant,  but  which  w^orks  so  quietly 
that  it  was  thousands  of  years  before  mortals 
discovered  its  existence. 


August  13. 

IMulip  riiillii)s,  Chribtiau  vocalist.  18o4. 


August  14. 


Geo.  Combe,  phrenologist,  died,  1858. 
247 


August  15. 

Young  ladies  should  remember  that  the  Al- 
mighty knew  what  was  the  best  shape  for  a 
human  form,  and  that  the  lacings  and  distor- 
tions with  which  the}-  disfigure  themselves,  are 
as  impious  as  they  are  unhealthful,  as  sinful  as 
they  are  absurd ;  and  that  no  person  can  com- 
press, restrain,  and  remodel  her  external  fonn, 
without  deranging,  distorting,  and  displacing 
those  internal  organs,  upon  the  normal  and 
healthful  condition  of  which  depend  peace, 
happiness,  health,  and  even  life  itself. 


August  16. 

"Blessed  are  the  poor,"  but  that  depends 
upon  the  kind  of  poverty.  The  man  who  pays 
five  dollars  to  take  his  family  to  the  circus  half 
a  day,  and  cannot  pay  five  cents  to  have  them 
go  to  meeting  a  year,  is  poor,  but  there  is  very 
little  blessedness  for  him. 


August  15. 

Sir  Waltfi-  Srt.it,  1771.         Napoleon  (1.)  Bonapaito,  1760. 
Thomas  de  Quincey,  1785. 


ist  16. 


August  17. 

When  a  man  has  violated  conscience  and  has 
departed  from  God^  his  sources  of  strength  are 
dried  up ;  like  Samson  despoiled  of  his  locks, 
he  is  weak  as  other  men  are,  and  goes  down  in 
the  general  wreck,  feeble  when  he  might  have 
been  strong,  defeated  when  he  might  have  been 
a  victor,  dishonored  when  he  might  have  been 
crowned  with  glory,  lost  when  he  might  have 
been  saved. 


August  18. 

When  throngs  of  people  of  every  class  and 
condition  pour  by  thousands  into  some  immense 
barn-like  tabernacle  to  hear  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
from  plain,  unlettered,  earnest  men,  where  cost- 
ly and  elegant  churches  have  stood  half  empty 
around  them,  it  may  be  questioned  w^hether, 
after  all,  there  is  not  some  more  potent  attrac- 
tion in  the  Gospel  of  Christ  which  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  than  in  the  plush  and 
velvet,  and  black  walnut  and  mahogany,  which 
are  deemed  so  necessary  for  the  securing  of  the 
hundred-thousand-dollar  sinners,  who  are  in 
such  especial  need  of  salvation. 

250 


August  17. 

William  Carey,  pioneer  missionary,  17<H. 


August  18. 


August  19. 

Let  a  man  but  set  his  whole  being  to  one 
work, — let  him  pursue  it  with  all  the  energy  of 
his  mind, — let  him  follow  it  wdth  all  the  tenacity 
of  life, — let  him  war  against  every  obstacle, — 
let  him  thus  pursue  his  w^ay,  and  ten  chances  to 
one  he  shall  triumph  at  last,  and  if  he  triumph 
not,  yet  his  failure  shall  have  triumph  even  in 
that. 


August  20. 

If  the  Good  Shepherd  takes  to  his  own  breast 
a  lamb  from  our  little  flock,  let  us  consider  that 
he  means  to  lead  us  on  to  greener  pastures,  and 
by  the  side  of  quiet  waters,  and  let  us  follow 
him  without  a  fear.  And  if  he  chooses  to  bear 
our  lambs  asleep  in  his  own  bosom,  over  the 
dark,  and  rough,  and  dangerous  road,  shall  w^e, 
who  are  often  footsore,  Aveary  and  discouraged, 
murmur  at  his  loving  care?  Shall  we  not  rather 
say,  ^'It  is  well  with  the  child,"  and  arise  to 
follow  Jesus  in  the  way  ? 


August  19. 


August  20. 

Robert  Herrick,  lyrical  poet,  1591. 
Louis  Bourdaloue,  theologian,  1632. 


August  21. 
When  Jesus  held  that  solemn  conversation 
with  Simon  Peter,  in  which  he  probed  his  heart 
to  its  very  depths,  he  did  not  commence  with 
him  ''on  an  empty  stomach, "  faint  and  weary 
and  hungry,  with  his  teeth  chattering  from  the 
cold ;  but  his  first  invitation  was  to  ' '  Come  and 
dine !  "  and  food  which  his  own  hands  had  pre- 
pared awaited  them  when  they  reached  the 
shore.  And  it  was  ' '  when  they  had  dined " 
and  were  full,  and  warm,  and  comfortable 
about  the  fire,  that  he  propounded  to  Peter  that 
searching  question:  "Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me? " 


August  22. 

This  is  a  short  world :  whether  it  be  filled 
with  joy  or  sorrow,  light  or  shade,  it  matters 
little.  Here  we  are  to  work  and  wait,  but  soon 
all  will  be  over  and  the  eternal  day  will  dawn, 
— the  clouds  and  shades  and  storms  will  pass; 
and  oh  that  we,  when  the  morning  breaks,  may, 
''as  children  of  light,"  be  found  watching  and 
waiting,  prepared  for  the  bright  and  everlast- 
ing day. 


254 


August  21. 

Hermann  Olshausen,  commentator,  17%. 
.TulesMichelet,  historian,  1708. 


August  22. 

John  B.  Gough,  1817.        Aim6  Bonpland,  naturalist,  1773. 
Jean  Francois  de  Galaup  de  la  P^roiise,  navigator,  1741. 


/ 

i 

i 

''; 

T\  m.  W  hyton,  trans! 


lator.  died,  1752. 
/  266 


/ 


August  23. 

The  revelations  of  prophecy  are  facts  which 
exhibit  the  divine  omniscience.  So  long  as 
Babylon  is  in  heaps ;  so  long  as  Nineveh  lies 
empty,  void,  and  waste ;  so  long  as  Egypt  is  the 
basest  of  kingdoms ;  so  long  as  Tyre  is  a  place 
for  the  spreading  of  nets  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea;  so  long  as  Israel  is  scattered  among  all 
nations;  so  long  as  Jerusalem  is  trodden  under 
foot  of  the  Gentiles ;  so  long  as  the  great  em- 
pires of  the  world  march  on  in  their  predicted 
course, — so  long  we  have  proof  that  one  Omni- 
scient Mind  dictated  the  predictions  of  that 
book,  and  ' '  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by 
the  will  of  man,  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.*' 

August  24. 

There  are  men  who  resemble  Jesse  Lee,  who 
is  reported  to  have  confessed  that  at  one  time 
in  his  early  experience,  when  matrimonial 
projects  engaged  his  mind,  he  used  to  pray: 
' '  Lord,  thy  will  be  done,  but  Lord,  /  want  that 
icoman!''''  When  good  men  pray  for  God's  will 
to  be  done,  while  at  the  same  time  they  deter- 
mine to  do  their  own  will,  they  may  expect 
nothing  but  disappointment  and  mistake. 


August  23. 

Sir  Astley  Cooper,  surjTeon,  1708. 
Baron  Cuvier,  naturalist,  1760. 


August  24. 

Wm,  Wilbcrforce,  philanthropist,  1759. 
Maria  Letizia  Ramolino  Bonaparte,  mother  of  Napoleon  I.,  1750, 


AugusL  25. 

A  man  tells  me  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  a 
good  man;  but  then,  there  were  other  men  just 
as  good.  He  was  a  spiritual  medium ;  but  there 
are  other  mediums  equally  powerful  in  these 
days.  I  do  not  remember  any  spiritual  medium 
giving  a  public  dinner,  for  nothing,  to  five 
thousand  hungry  people  !  You  may  have  heard 
of  such  a  '^manifestation,"  but  it  has  not  fallen 
under  my  notice.  I  have  not  heard  of  a  spirit- 
ual medium  hushing  the  winds,  or  calming  a 
storm  at  sea.  I  have  heard  of  dancing  tables 
and  similar  operations.  I  prefer  to  have  my 
tables  stand  still! 

August  26. 

When  a  certain  statesman  was  asked  what 
crops  they  raised  among  the  sterile  rocks  and 
granite  hills  of  his  native  land,  his  answer  was : 
"We  raise  men!  "  And  doubtless  many  of  those 
conditions  which  seem  so  unfavorable  to  the 
development  of  vegetation  and  material  wealth, 
and  which  condemn  the  inhabitants  to  persist- 
ent bodily  toil,  have  had  much  to  do  with  build- 
ing up  the  strength  and  manliness  which  has 
usually  characterized  the  inhabitants  of  hilly 
and  mountainous  regions. 

258 


August  25. 


August  26. 

L'riucu  Albert,  1819.        Sir  Kobert  Walpole,  statesman,  1G7G. 


Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  dit-d,  1832. 
259 


August  27. 
•  Some  people  can  remember  everything  else, 
but  they  forget  the  word  of  God,  If  a  man 
abuses  them,  they  can  remember  what  he  said, 
and  how  he  said  it.  and  can  give  all  the  partic- 
ulars, and  be  ready  to  testify  to  them  years 
afterwards;  but  they  forget  the  text.  They  do 
not  recollect  the  sermons.  To  learn  a  passage 
of  Scripture  is  a  task  beyond  their  ability.  If  a 
man  owes  them  money  they  remember  that ;  if 
any  secular  matter  comes  up,  they  have  no 
trouble  to  recall  that.  Only  the  word  of  God 
escapes  from  their  memory ;  they  lack  the  power 
of  retaining  that  word. 

August  28. 
The  Bible  is  a  book  which  has  been  refuted, 
demolished,  overthrown,  and  exploded,  more 
times  than  any  other  book  you  ever  heard  of. 
Every  little  while  somebody  starts  up  and  up- 
sets this  book ;  and  it  is  like  upsetting  a  solid 
cube  of  granite.  It  is  just  as  big  one  way  as 
the  other ;  and  when  you  have  upset  it,  it  is 
right-side  up,  and  when  you  overturn  it  again 
it  is  right-side  up  still.  Every  little  while  some- 
body blows  up  the  Bible ;  but  when  it  comes 
down  it  always  lights  on  its  feet,  and  runs  faster 
than  ever  through  the  world. 

260 


August  27. 

George  WUhelm  Friediich  Hegel,  philosopher,  1770. 


August  28. 

Ira  D.  Sankey,  1840. 


August  29. 

My  old  great-grandmother  Knox  had  a  way 
of  making  her  children  finish  their  work.  If 
they  began  a  thing,  they  must  complete  it.  If 
they  undertook  to  build  a  cob-house,  they  must 
not  leave  it  until  it  was  done,  and  nothing  of 
work  or  play  to  which  they  set  their  hands 
would  she  allow  them  to  abandon  incomplete. 
I  sometimes  wish  I  had  been  trained  in  this  way. 
How  much  of  life  is  wasted  in  unfinished  work ! 
Many  a  man  uses  up  his  time  in  splendid  be- 
ginnings. The  labor  devoted  to  commence  ten 
things  and  leave  them  useless  would  finish  five 
of  them  and  make  them  profitable  and  useful. 


August  30. 

Finish  your  work.  Life  is  brief ;  time  is  short. 
Stop  beginning  forty  things,  and  go  back  and 
finish  four.  Put  patient,  persistent  toil  into  the 
matter,  and,  be  assured,  one  completed  under- 
taking will  yield  yourself  more  pleasure,  and 
the  world  more  profit,  than  a  dozen  fair  plans 
of  which  people  say,  '/This  man  began  to  build, 
and  was  not  able  to  finish." 

^'Whatsover  tliy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it 
with  tliv  miuht/" 

262 


August  29. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holiues,  1809.       John  Locke,  philosopher,  1632. 
Frederick  Denison  Maurice,  1803. 


August  30. 


August  31. 
Children  when  riding  think  the  trees  move, 
while  they  sit  still.  Men  speak  of  the  sun  as 
rising,  and  the  earth  as  being  stationary.  Just 
so  men,  changed  themselves,  suppose  God  has 
changed  towards  them,  and  sing: 

"  My  God  is  reconciled, 

His  pardoning  voice  I  hear  ;  " 

as  if,  after  their  praying  and  weeping  and  plead- 
ing and  persuading,  God  had  at  last  changed 
in  his  feelings,  and  concluded  to  be  reconciled 
to  the  sinner.  But  this  is  not  the  Gospel.  Said 
the  apostle  Paul,  "All  things  are  of  God,  who 

hath     RECONCILED      us    TO    HIMSELF,     by     JcSUS 

Christ."  "  God  w^as  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
WORLD  UNTO  HIMSELF,  not  imputing  their  tres- 
passes unto  them ;  and  hath  committed  unto  us 
the  word  of  reconciliation.  Now  then  we  are 
ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  be- 
seech YOU  by  us:  w^e  pray  you  in  Christ's 
stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God.^' 


I 


August  31. 


John  Bunyan,  died,  ir>8>^. 
266 


The  Cross* 

O  shameful  cross !  on  thee  was  hirng 
The  bleeding  One  who  died  for  me. 

There  mocked  by  every  railing  tongue 
I  see  my  Saviour's  agony. 

O  cross  of  anguish  and  of  shame  ! 

Thou  didst  a  Saviour's  grace  declare: 
Thou  dost  to  all  the  world  proclaim 

The  love  that  did  my  sorrows  bear. 

Cross  of  the  Lord!  no  radiant  gem, 
No  glistening  pearls  of  lustre  rare, 

Xo  monarch's  blazing  diadem 
With  thy  pale  splendors  can  compare. 

Cross  of  the  Lord !  while  others  boast 
Of  titles,  names,  and  marks  of  pride, 

My  heart  shall  ever  glory  most 
In  that  rough  tree  where  Jesus  died. 

O  cross !  thou  badge  of  love  divine, 
Rend  my  hard  heart,  subdue  my  soul ; 

Oh,  crush  each  lust  and  slay  each  sin, 
And  all  my  life  by  love  control. 


266 


When  We  Were  Boys. 

Oh  the  days  when  we  were  boys  ! 
Life  had  sunshine,  health,  and  joys; 
Rosy,  hearty,  fresh  and  fair, 
Full  of  life,  we  children  were. 

Shoeless,  hatless,  coatless  too, 
Tlirough  rent  garments  breezes  blew; 
Active,  agile,  playful,  wild, 
Who  is  happier  than  a  child? 

Quick  to  laugh,  and  jump,  and  run, 
Fond  of  sunshine,  full  of  fun, 
Shouting,  swinging  on  the  gate, 
Bound  for  school—"  You'll  be  too  late  !" 

Ah,  those  days  are  passed  away, 
Brows  are  wrinkled,  hair  grows  gray; 
Yet  I  love  their  cheer  and  noise. 
And  my  heart  says,  "  Bless  the  boys !  " 

Bless  the  laughing,  shouting  boys, 
With  their  pleasures,  plays,  and  joys; 
May  they  think  on  God  in  youth, 
And  grow  up  in  grace  and  truth. 


September  1. 

A  world  needs  not  only  a  Creator  but  a  Sup- 
porter; one  who  upholdetli  ''all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power; "  and  the  miracle  of  making 
a  world  which  w^hen  once  produced  would  run 
itself,  and  develop  the  ten  thousand  forms  of 
animal  life  which  fill  this  mundane  sphere, 
would  be  a  thousand  times  as  great  as  the  mir- 
acle of  creating  the  world  by  an  act  of  omnipo- 
tence, and  sustaining  and  guiding  its  destiny  in 
such  a  way  that  not  one  sparrow  should  fall  un- 
noticed to  the  ground.  Mud  and  monkeys  are 
very  poor  substitutes  for  an  Almighty  Creator 
and  a  heavenly  Father. 

September  2. 

New  converts  often  outdo  all  others  in  the 
intensity  of  their  sectarian  zeal;  and  not  in- 
frequently abuse  others  who  are  not  as  rash  and 
imprudent  as  themselves.  They  seem  to  think 
that  the  work  of  a  lifetime  may  be  accomplished 
in  a  single  day,  and  they  censure  others  for  not 
accepting  in  fifteen  minutes  truths  over  which 
they  themselves  have  hesitated  for  fifteen  years. 
They  are  often  valiant  in  shouting  victory  over 
others'  battles,  and  diligent  in  reaping  the  re- 
ward of  others'  labors. 

268 


September  1. 


September  2. 

John  Howard,  philanthropist,  1726. 
Ernst  Curtius,  Hellenist,  1814. 


September  3. 

A  watclimun  who  utters  uu  warniug  cit  at 
the  approach  of  danger,  fails  to  fulfill  the  duties 
of  his  post.  A  dumb  dog  that  can  not  bark, 
lying  down,  loving  to  slumber,  greedy,  never 
satisfied, — such  a  dog,  who  would  care  to  have 
him  about  his  premises  ?  Who  would  dare  to 
trust  to  his  protection  ?  And  yet  there  are 
those  who  intrude  themselves  into  positions  of 
the  utmost  responsibility  in  the  church  of  God, 
and  when  once  there  seem  to  find  their  main 
occupation  in  keeping  themselves  in  comfort, 
satisfying  themselves,  and  especially  in  keeping 
everything  quiet  around  them. 


September  4. 

If  people  w^ish  to  fight  the  rum  devil,  they 
must  do  something  besides  make  speeches  and 
pass  resolutions;  they  must  go  into  business 
and  beat  the  devil  on  his  own  field.  A  dozen 
drinking  fountains,  or  a  big  temperance  restau- 
rant where  cheap  healthful  food  canbehad  witli 
no  liquor,  will  do  more  for  temperance  than 
manv  a  fierce  oration  about  rum  and  rumsellers. 


September  3. 

(lardiHT  Colby,  founder  of  Colby  UiiiverBity,  ISIO. 


September  4. 


271 


L.... 


September  H. 

There  are  persons  whose  idea  of  reform  and 
elevation  consists  in  one  spasmodic  effort  or 
terrible  assault.  If  they  were  to  raise  a  build- 
ing they  would  probably  place  a  lever  under 
one  corner  of  it,  and  if  possible  tip  it  over,  dis- 
locating it  and  racking  it  to  ruin,  and  then  out 
of  the  wreck  select  such  bricks  as  they  might 
be  able  to  use,  and  adjust  them  to  suit  them- 
selves. They  are  much  more  skilled  in  the  art 
of  breaking  down  than  of  building  up ;  they 
can  overturn  sometimes,  but  they  do  not  leave 
things  right  side  up  at  last. 


September  6. 
In  prayer  you  talk  with  God :  in  reading  his' 
AVord  he  talks  with  you.  Can  you  afford  to 
miss  this  heavenly  conversation  ?  Can  you  spare 
the  instructions,  the  reproofs,  the  counsels,  the 
encouragements  which  God  bestows  ?  Can  you 
live  the  life  you  desire  to  live,  while  you  neg- 
lect his  counsels,  and  do  not  incline  your  heart 
to  his  reproofs? 


272 


September  5. 

Cardinal  Riclielieu,  1585. 


September  6. 

Marquis  de  Lafayette,  1757. 


September  7. 

The  care  of  a  fretful,  crying  child  may  do 
more  to  develop  the  ability  and  humanity  of  a 
person,  than  months  of  soulless  routine  work  at 
which  one  might  labor  forty  years,  and  not 
use  so  much,  judgment  and  sense  as  would 
be  requisite  in  the  cooking  of  a  dinner,  or  the 
turning  and  refitting  of  an  old  garment;  and 
yet  there  are  people  who  look  upon  themselves 
as  too  intellectual  for  domestic  toil ;  forgetting 
that  helpfulness  is  culture  and  work  is  educa- 
tion. 


September  8. 

God  is  older  than  creeds ;  humanity  is  older 
than  churches;  Christianity  is  older  than  sects; 
and  if  some  of  these  close  corporations, — these 
churches  that  have  '*  no  vacancies,"  would  open 
their  doors  more  widely,  and  if  their  leaders 
would  go  out  and  call  benighted  wanderers  in, 
there  would  be  less  throwing  stones  from  the 
outside,  by  men  who  are  hungry,  lonely,  liome- 
less,  faint,  and  cold. 


Sepiemcer  7. 

CJeorges  Louis  Leclerc  Buffon,  naturalist,  17<17 
Queen  Elizabeth,  1533. 


September  8. 

riof.  Arnold  Henry  Guyot,  geographer,  1807 


September  9. 

Scolding  is  a  poor  way  of  telling  anything  to 
people,  and  especially  of  proclaiming  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ.  And  yet  there  are  persons  who 
seem  to  think  themselves  called  to  scold  the 
Gospel  at  congregations.  The  Gospel  is  a  mes- 
sage of  gladness ;  it  is  good  news,  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy;  and  the  service  of  the  Lord  is  a 
service  of  gladness,  and  blessing,  and  peace. 
How  unfit  then,  are  hard,  angry  and  bitter 
words  to  be  the  vehicles  to  convey  this  message 
to  the  ears  of  sinful  men. 


September  10. 
God's  salvation  must  be  free,  or  else  the  poor 
could  not  obtain  it.  It  must  be  simple,  or  babes 
could  not  understand  it.  It  must  be  easy,  or 
the  weak,  the  young,  the  helpless  and  the  dis- 
tressed could  never  gain  it.  And  so  the  relig- 
ion of  Christ  differs  from  all  other  religions, 
in  that  it  is  the  gift  of  God  to  those  who  have 
nothing  to  offer  in  return.  He  gives  right  roy- 
ally,— to  the  poor,  to  the  weak,  and  to  the  help- 
less ; — for  it  was  when  we  were  without  strength, 
in  due  time,  that  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly. 

276 


Sepiember  9. 

Kichard  Chenevlx  Trench,  1807. 


September  10. 

Miiiiy;o  Park,  African  traveler,  1771. 


September  11. 

Just  as  some  lying  vagabond  wheedles  an 
ignorant  and  self -conceited  boy,  and  makes  him 
believe  that  his  father  is  a  cruel  master  and  an 
unfeeling  foe  ;  and  makes  him  so  reckless  that  he 
Avill  go  to  sea,  go  to  war,  or  go  to  perdition, — 
all  because  a  lying  villain  has  filled  his  mind 
with  prejudice  and  falsehood,  and  made  him 
think  that  no  one  loves  him  or  cares  for  him ; 
so  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  it  has  been 
Satan's  course  to  persuade  men  that  God  was 
their  enemy,  that  he  hated  them,  that  he  was 
filled  with  wrath  and  vengeance  and  indigna- 
tion towards  them,  that  they  themselves  might 
become  haters  of  the  God  who  loves  them. 

September  12. 

AVhatever  sinful  men  may  say,  the  holy  angels 
sang  over  Bethlehem's  plains,  ^' Peace  on  earth, 
good  will  to  men."  Whatever  sinful  preach- 
ers may  say,  the  sinless  Jesus  said,  "God 
sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the 
world,  but  that  the  world  througli  him  might 
be  saved."  "For  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
belie veth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlastino-  life." 


September  11. 

James  Thomson,  poet,  1700. 


September  12. 


September  13. 
There  are  many  gentle  people  in  this  world, 
and  there  are  many  who  do  not  fail  or  become 
discouraged.  But  the  two  qualities  are  dis- 
united. There  are  those  who  perhaps  never 
broke  a  bruised  reed,  but  then,  they  never  did 
anything  else  which  required  effort  or  decis- 
ion; their  voices  are  not  heard  in  the  streets, 
nor  are  they  heard  anywhere  else  where  men 
sJwidd  speak  boldly  on  behalf  of  God  and  truth. 
There  are  plenty  of  quiet,  gentle  j^eople  in  the 
world,  who  do  not  strive  or  cry.  But  their  gen- 
tleness is  laziness,  and  their  patience  is  indiffer- 
ence. God's  service  requires  other  characteris- 
tics and  qualifications  besides  meekness  and 
gentleness. 

September  14. 
The  management  of  the  devil's  Avorld,  or  of 
God's  universal  church,  are  undertakings  too 
large  by  far  for  the  servant  of  God ;  and  so,  as 
the  world  rolls  on,  he  attends  to  his  own  spe- 
cific work,  and  leaves  the  Lord  to  care  for  that 
which  is  beyond  his  reach.  God  ruled  the 
world  before  he  came  into  it,  and  can  rule  it 
after  lie  leaves  it,  and  so  he  expects  God  to 
rule  it  Avhile  he  is  in  it ;  not  doubting  his  wis- 
dom, liis  providence,  or  his  power. 

280 


September  13. 


SeptemlDer  14. 

Robert  Raikes,  founder  of  Sunday  School'?.  1735. 


SeptemlDer  15. 

Positive  work  yields  permaneut  results. 
Some  men  are  so ,  busy  taking  care  of  what 
others  have  done,  that  they  do  little  or  nothing 
themselves.  They  manage  "the  cause"  till 
there  is  no  '^  cause  "  left  to  be  managed.  Those 
who  attend  to  their  work  usually  have  work  to 
attend  to. 


September  16. 

He  who  climbs  Alpine  summits,  and  treads 
paths  where  avalanches  sweep,  does  not  seek 
out  as  his  guide  the  most  voluble  talker,  nor 
yet  the  most  accomplished  student ;  but  rather 
the  man  who,  year  after  year,  has  trod  those 
dark  defiles,  and  climbed  those  dangerous 
heights,  and  who  knows  beyond  a  peradven- 
ture  the  safest  paths  and  surest  hiding-places. 
And  he  who  sets  forth  to  guide  God's  pilgrims 
to  the  heavenly  home,  must  be  the  man  who 
knows  the  way,  not  by  books  merely,  but  by 
experience ;  not  by  dim  remembrances,  but  by 
vivid  recollection. 


September  15. 

Canon  Mozley,  1813. 


Se'czerr.loev  16. 


September  17. 

The  world  has  only  had  one  perfect  gentle- 
man, and  that  was  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  who 
was  full  of  the  .  gentleness  of  God.  How  he 
reproved  pride  when  his  disciples  strove  for 
the  pre-eminence.  How  he  warned  them  that 
they  knew  not  what  spirit  they  were  of.  How 
he  set  a  little  child  in  the  midst  of  them,  in 
their  ambitiousness,  for  their  examj^le  and  their 
pattern !  How  he  blessed  the  meek  with  special 
promises,  and  how  he  practiced  all  he  preached^ 
in  that  he  did  not  break  the  bruised  reed,  nor 
quench  the  smoking  flax. 


September  18. 

My  business  is  with  God's  work,  and  it  is  his 
affair  to  supply  all  my  need ;  and  whether  he 
does  it  by  sending  the  ravens  to  bring  me  bread 
and  meat,  by  multiplying  my  meal  in  the  barrel 
and  my  oil  in  the  cruise,  by  prospering  the 
labor  of  my  toiling  hands,  by  directing  his  serv- 
ants to  divide  with  me  the  abundance  they 
possess,  or  by  raining  manna  from  the  clouds 
and  pouring  water  from  the  smitten  rock,  all 
these  methods  are  alike  to  me, — I  trust  in  him 
for  the  results. 


September  17. 

Rev.  John  Foster,  "  The  Essayist,"  1770. 


September  18. 

Samuel  Johnson,  LL.  D,,  lexicographer,  1709. 


286 


September  19. 
The  prescribing  of  duties  and  forms  and 
ceremonies  for  sinners  to  perform,  is  like  telling 
a  dead  man  to  be  active  in  order  that  he  may 
live.  A  thousand  voices  might  have  called  the 
ruler's  daughter  or  the  widow's  son,  and  yet 
have  called  in  vain;  but  the  word  of  Christ 
broke  the  dull  sleep  of  death,  and  bade  the 
slumberers  rise.  So  men  may  call  upon  dead 
sinners  to  do  this  thing  or  that,  but  only  Christ's 
voice  can  break  their  fatal  lethargy.  And  when 
"He  saith  awake  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise 
from  the  dead,"  the  power  to  do  attends  the 
high  command. 

September  20. 
Before  there  can  be  acceptable  service  there 
must  be  an  accepted  servant.  An  alien,  an 
enemy,  or  a  condemned  criminal,  cannot  be  rec- 
ognized as  a  servant  even  of  a  commonwealth. 
The  man  must  become  a  citizen,  he  must  be  a 
friend,  his  crimes  must  be  pardoned  before  his 
service  can  be  accepted.  And  any  acts  of  ser- 
vice previously  performed,  would  only  be  an 
unwarranted  intrusion  into  things  with  which 
he  has  no  right  to  meddle.  So  no  man  can  be 
accepted  in  his  service  y<?r  God,  till  he  has  been 
accepted  in  his  person  hi  God. 

286 


I 


September  19. 

Antoninus  Piut^,  Kuuiau  Emperoi,  &6. 


President  Garfield,  died,  1881. 

September  20. 


September  21. 

Grand  and  glorious  as  is  the  work  of  God, 
lie  keeps  his  workmen  humble  in  his  sight. 
They  see  only  the  rough  sticks  which  they  are 
called  to  hew  in  the  mountains,  or  the  rough 
stones  which  they  are  called  to  hammer  in  the 
quarry.  They  cannot  know,  nor  must  they 
claim  to  know,  the  whys  or  wherefores  of  all 
their  tedious  toil.  Only  the  great  Architect 
understands  the  whole  majestic  plan,  and  sees 
the  finished  building  in  its  final  splendor  rising 
o'er  the  wreck  of  nature's  glory,  in  that  coming 
day  when  ' '  they  shall  bring  forth  the  headstone 
thereof,  with  shoutings  of  Grace,  grace  unto  it." 

September  22. 

Some  prefer  to  rule  rather  than  to  serve. 
They  choose  to  tell  the  Almighty  what  they  will 
do,  rather  than  to  ask  him  what  they  may  do. 
This  is  the  principle  of  rebellion ;  the  out- work- 
ing of  the  carnal  mind,  the  turbulence  of  the 
flesh  uncrucified,  the  will  unsubdued.  It  is 
seen  when  men  shrink  from  duty,  and  shun  the 
cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  seen  when  men  re- 
sist the  appointments  of  God's  providence,  and 
murmur  at  the  trials  of  their  lot,  and  say,  ^''My 
will,  not  thine,  be  done." 


September  21. 


September  22. 

Michael  Faraday,  natural  philosopher,  1701. 


ICinaiioipatioii  Proclunuit  ion,  ISfii?. 
2S9 


September  23. 

There  is  much  earthly  service  which  is  worse 
than  useless.  Many  a  blundering  and  unskill- 
ful boy  does  his  master  far  more  hurt  than  good 
in  doing  his  day's  work,  for  he  does  it  wrongly. 
Many  a  well-meant  endeavor  has  proved  a  posi- 
tive unkindness,  because  it  was  injudiciously 
performed.  And  many  a  man  thinks  himself  a 
servant  of  God  when  he  is  truly  serving  the 
Devil,  as  w^as  Saul  of  Tarsus  when  he  stoned 
Stephen  and  persecuted  the  church. 


September  24. 

All  that  the  Christian  loses  now  he  gains 
by  .and  by.  All  he  does  not  get  in  manna  in 
the  wilderness,  he  will  get  in  plenty  in  the 
goodly  land.  All  that  he  does  not  get  in  water 
from  the  smitten  rock,  he  will  get  in  milk  and 
honey,  in  peace  and  blessing,  on  the  shining 
shore.  He  may  find  little  repose  in  earth's  way- 
side hostelries,  but  he  shall  find  the  better  rest 
that  remaineth  in  the  paradise  of  God.  He  can 
wait,  for  his  reward  is  certain;  he  can  be 
patient,  for  it  is  secure ;  he  can  be  joyful,  for 
it  is  exceeding  groat. 


September  23. 

Karl  Theodor  KeOrner,  poet,  171)1. 


September  2*-4. 


September  25. 

If  we  would  be  faithful  stewards  in  the 
Master's  service,  we  might  doubtless  avoid 
many  severe  losses  that  come  upon  us  in  this 
world.  He  who  would  have  his  property  safe, 
must  keep  ahead  of  floods,  and  flames,  and 
thieves,  and  robbers.  A  man  who  had  endured 
a  succession  of  heavy  losses,  began  to  give  away 
with  unusual  liberality,  saying,  "If  property 
is  going  like  this,  we  must  save  some  of  it;'* 
and  so  he  laid  it  up  in  heaven.  "That  which 
we  keep  we  lose:  that  which  we  give  we  have." 


September  26. 

Most  of  the  old  sectarian  issues  are  as  dead 
as  Julius  Caesar.  Is  it  not  time  to  bury  them? 
Suppose  this  man's  grandfather  was  foolish,  or 
the  founder  of  that  man's  sect  was  fanatical, 
or  the  other  man's  ancestors  did  not  stand  high 
in  society,  or  your  family  and  theirs  had  trouble 
a  hundred  years  ago  ;  —is  that  any  reason  why 
you  should  fight  their  battles,  perpetuate  their 
feuds,  or  commemorate  their  disgrace?  Have 
we  no  better  work  to  do  than  this?  Can  we  not 
trust  the  dead  to  bury  the  dead,  while  we  go 
and  preach  the  kingdom  of  God^ 


September  25. 

PY-licia  Dorothea  Hemans,  poet,  1714. 
Abraham  Gottlob  "SVeruer,  geologist.  lloO. 


September  26. 

Horar<;  Hayman  Wilson,  Sanscrit  scholar,  17^G. 


September  27.  » 
The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  seem 
to  be  to  create  or  impart  new  powers  of  mind 
or  body,  but  rather  to  remedy  defects,  and  re- 
i:>air  the  ruin  wrought  by  sin.  Man  is  a  wreck, 
disordered  and  diseased;  the  Holy  Spirit 
"helpeth  our  infirmities."  Memory,  though  a 
natural  gift,  becomes  impaired ;  the  Holy  Spirit 
brings  all  things  to  remembrance.  Conscience, 
though  a  natural  gift,  becomes  seared  or 
perverted;  the  Holy  Spirit  purges  and  quick- 
ens it,  and  convinces  of  sin,  of  righteousness, 
and  of  judgment.  Speech  is  a  natural  gift, 
but  the  Holy  Spirit  loosens  the  stammering 
tongue,  and  even  bestows  ability,  so  that  men 
speak  with  new  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gives 
them  utterance. 

September  28. 
It  is  said  of  the  little  ones.  *' Their  angels 
do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven.''  What  are  all  the  mailed  troops, 
all  the  harnessed  warriors  surrounding  the  steps 
of  royalty,  compared  with  this  celestial  life- 
guard of  the  saints?  The  humblest,  most  de- 
spised, unknown  believer,  has  a  nobler  life- 
guard than  the  proudest  monach  that  ever  filled 
a  throne  on  earth. 


September  27. 

George  Miiller,  1805.        Henry  Moorhouse,  1840. 

Geo.  Cruikshank,  artist,  1792.        Thomas  Nast,  1840. 

Samuel  Adams,  1722. 


September  28. 

Sir  William  Jones,  orientalist,  174G. 


September  29. 

When  you  pray  you  may  not  have  what  you 
ask  for,  but  it  will  strengthen  you  under  your 
disappointment  to  know  that  it  was  God's  will 
to  refuse  your  request,  and  that  he  did  so  be- 
cause, seeing  the  future,  he  intended  to  give  you 
a  higher  blessing  than  the  one  you  would  have 
asked  for  yourself.  Your  child  cries  when  you 
take  a  dangerous  plaj^thing  from  his  hand,  or 
deny  him  some  unsuitable  pleasure,  but  he  will 
thank  you  when  he  is  older,  for  this  proof  of 
your  love. 


September  30. 

There  are  men  who  hunt,  and  fish,  and  starve, 
for  generations,  seeing  nothing  but  poverty  and 
want  around  them;  until  some  stranger  comes 
and  finds  gold  and  silver  and  iron  and  gems 
beneath  their  feet ;  drops  seeds  into  the  earth, 
and  makes  the  desert  smile;  and  skirts  the 
arrowy  water-course  with  shops  and  mills,  where 
streams  that  have  been  idle  for  ages,  are  taught 
to  do  the*work  of  tens  of  thousands  of  men. 
So  there  are  men  who  read  the  Bible  and  see 
nothing  in  it,  while  othej's  find  it  filled  with 
lioarded  wealth. 

293 


September  29. 

R«\ .  F.  H.  A.  Scrivener,  N.  T.  Revisf-r,  \>^\3. 
Admiral  Horatio  Nelson.  17r>S. 


September  30. 

Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan,  1751. 


207 


Straight  is  the  Way. 


Straight  is  the  way — the  door  is  strait 

That  leads  to  joys  on  high  ; 
'Tis  but  a  few  that  find  the  gate, 

While  crowds  mistake  and  die. 

Beloved  self  must  be  denied, 
The  mind  and  will  renewed, 

Passion  suppressed,  and  patience  tried, 
And  vain  desire  subdued. 


i 


Ii5ftijfejer> 


Homeland. 

My  home  is  o'er  the  swelling  flood, 

Where  suns  no  more  descend  , 
Within  the  paradise  of  God, 

Where  pleasures  never  end. 
My  King  in  beauty  there  enthroned, 

Angelic  hosts  behold ; 
And  there  I  hope,  with  glory  crowned, 

To  walk  those  streets  of  gold. 

O  Star  of  day!   thy  holy  beams 

Pierce  through  the  shadows  gray; 
We  hail  with  joy  thy  twinkling  gleams. 

That  tell  of  perfect  day ; 
Soon  shall  thy  glory  fill  the  skies, 

Thou  Hope  of  seers  and  kings: 
The  ^un  of  Righteousness  shall  rise, 

With  healing  in  His  wings. 

O  day  of  glory!   dawn,  and  bring 

Creation's  second  birth; 
When  morning  stars  again  shall  sing 

O'er  this  dark,  groaning  earth. 
When  He  who  said,  "  Let  there  be  light! 

And  all  things  sprang  to  view. 
Shall  speak  again  that  word  of  might, 

'*  See,  I  make  all  things  new." 


October  1. 

If  you  resist  evil,  and  strive  for  your  rights, 
and  fight  to  have  justice  done  you,  you  may 
keep  yourself  in  a  perpetual  broil,  lose  much, 
and  gain  nothing  by  the  operation.  Pass  on, 
and  get  out  of  the  dust;  leave  lies,  quarrels, 
and  jangles  behind  you.  Most  people,  when 
they  hear  you  talked  about,  would  like  to  know 
just  what  you  think  about  the  stories.  If  you 
stop  to  bandy  words  and  fight  battles,  they  will 
conclude  you  think  it  a  serious  matter.  If  you 
go  about  your  business  they  will  conclude  that 
if  you  do  not  notice  it  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  should. 

.October  2. 

A  man  can  only  teach  what  he  has  learned, 
and  testify  what  he  knows.  Hence,  desirable 
as  all  culture  and  education  may  be,  it  is  not 
the  thing  that  fits  men  for  the  ministry  of  the 
word  of  God.  A  man  may  know  Greek,  and 
not  know  God.  He  may  have  Hebrew,  and  not 
have  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  may  understand 
geology,  and  be  ignorant  of  grace.  Such  a 
man  may  be  a  good  pedagogue,  but  he  would 
l)e  a  blind  guide  to  wandering  souls.  He  must 
learn  before  he  can  teach. 

3O0 


October  1. 

Rufus  Choate,  170M. 


October  2. 


October  3. 

AVithoui  moral  integrity  there  is  no  founda- 
tion for  confidence  in  business  or  in  social  life ; 
and  anything  which  tends  to  weaken  the  sense 
of  moral  responsibility  in  the  human  heart, 
tends  directly  to  produce  financial  disaster  and 
distress.  That  man  who,  through  a  long  series 
of  years,  by  crookedness,  and  craft,  and  guile, 
and  worldly  policy,  trains  up  around  him  a 
class  of  men  accomplished  in  all  the  tricks  and 
arts  of  commercial  deception,  may  well  expect 
to  find  the  fruit  of  his  labor  in  universal  dis- 
trust, ending  in  universal  disaster. 


.  October  4. 
A  man  may  be  in  error.  Try,  then,  to  con- 
vert him.  "But  he  will  not  be  converted." 
What  then?  Love  him — love  him  still;  for 
''charity  never  faileth."  "Above  all  things 
have  fervent  charity  among  yourselves ;"  then  in 
your  knowledge  of  human  weakness  and  infirm- 
ity, and  in  your  consideration  of  human  faulti- 
ness,  you  will  be  led  to  endure  with  patience 
the  ignorance,  dullness,  error,  and  stupidity 
of  those  for  whom  the  Good  Shepherd  hath  laid 
down  his  life. 


October  3. 

George  Bancroft,  ISOO. 


October  4. 

Pre.si<lent  Kntherford  T>.  Hayes,  1822. 


October  5. 

Men  will  go  at  last  where  they  are  fit  to  go ; 
and  those  who  spend  their  lives  in  the  service 
of  God,  would  be  poor  company  for  the  Devil 
and  his  angels,  while  those  who  hate  God  and 
despise  Christians  here,  must  have  strange 
notions  if  they  expect  to  be  forever  happy  with 
them  hereafter.  The  disciples  ''being  let  go, 
went  to  their  own  company,"  So  all  will  go  at 
last. 


October  6. 

Do  you  want  to  have  hard  times?  I  can  tell 
you  how .  Grumble  at  your  lot ;  keep  company 
with  drunkards,  blasphemers,  gamblers,  and 
loafers;  avoid  churches,  chapels,  and  places  of 
worship;  pick  out  for  associates  men  who  will 
lie,  cheat  and  steal ;  owe  every  man  who  is  pru- 
dent and  industrious  a  grudge  for  being  better 
off  than  you  are ;  and  above  all  do  not  read  the 
Bible,  but  spend  your  money  for  novels  and 
story-papers.  Attend  to  all  these  directions 
faithfully,  and  if  you  do  not  see  hard  times  at 
an  early  opportunity,  then  I  shall  despair  o 
your  ever  sncceedina'  in  anything  you  undertake 

304 


OctoLer  5. 

.lonatlian  Ethvard.>^,  1703.         Thomas  IIastiu<,'s,  cou>poser,  1784. 


October  6. 


October  T. 

Among  all  the  fooleries  of  tlie  present  day, 
none  are  more  marked  than  the  matrimonial 
infelicities  that  so  curse  the  world.  People 
who  are  miserable  when  they  are  apart,  think 
they  will  be  happy  when  they  are  together;  and. 
then  finding  themselves  miserable  when  to- 
gether, they  think  they  will  be  happy  if  they 
can  only  get  apart.  So  they  shift  the  bed  and 
keep  the  pain.  The  fact  is,  the  devil  is  in  them, 
and  they  are  miserable  anywhere,  whether  sin- 
gle, married,  or  divorced.  And  most  of  the 
misery  they  enjoy  is  the  fruit  of  their  own 
faults  or  follies  or  sins. 


October  8. 

God  loves  to  guide  our  feet  "into  the  way  of 
peace ;"  and  whenever  we  have  found  ourselves 
in  dark  and  devious  and  perilous  paths,  we 
have  but  to  look  back  and  blame  ourselves  that 
our  eyes  were  dim,  our  ears  heavy,  our  wills 
stubborn,  and  our  hearts  hard ;  and  that  in  our 
blindness  and  stitf-neckedness  we  rejected  the 
counsel  of  God  to  our  own  disadvantage. 


October  7. 

Deau  Alford,  1810. 


October  8. 


October  9. 
God's  great  controversy  with  man  is  on  a  point 
of  time.  God  siiys  "You  are  a  sinner.'' — *'Yes.*' 
— ' '  You  must  repent. " — ' '  Yes. " — ' '  Seek  God. " 
—  ''I  will." — "Doit  now."  "  Xo — not  naw.'^ 
Here  is  the  fatal  breach.  God  says,  '''' To-daij 
if  you  will  hear  his  voice  harden  not  your 
hearts."  You  say  "  To-morroic  shall  be  as  this 
day  and  much  more  abundant."  God  says, 
"  Behold  7101(1  is  the  accepted  time,  and  noic  is 
the  day  of  salvation."  You  wait,  and  defer, 
and  die,  and  perish  I  You  linger,  but  damna- 
tion lingereth  not.  You  slumber,  but  judg- 
ment slumbereth  not.  You  wish  to  escape,  you 
intend  to  do  so.  When  will  you  do  it?  'Why 
not  now  ? 

October  10. 
Be  poor  as  Lazarus,  if  need  be ;  but  don't  die 
mortgaged  to  the  devil  for  more  than  you  are 
worth ;  if  you  do,  when  the  angels  come  they 
will  not  be  likely  to  carry  you  to  any  very 
good  place.  And  do  not  get  in  debt  and  make 
that  an  excuse  for  being  stingy  and  robbing 
God  in  tithes  and  in  offerings;  but  sell,  pay  up, 
get  clear  and  square  with  the  world,  and  then 
you  can  live  in  quietness,  and  die  in  peace  at 
last. 


Octoter  9. 

Miguel  Cervantes  de  Saavedra,  author  of  Don  Quixote.'  1.547 


October  10. 

IJeiijamin  West,  1738. 
Father  (^Theobald)  Mathew,  Irish  apostle  of  temperance,  17'J0. 


October  11. 

We  are  only  children  here.  We  must  pray 
for  faith  to  be  enabled  sincerely  to  ask,  ''  Thy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done."  But  when  we  are 
grown  older,  and  have  entered  into  our  heavenly 
home,  that  '^purchased  possession"  prepared 
for  those  who  belong  to  Christ,  then  shall  we 
be  able  to  look  back  to  life's  teachings,  whether 
of  joy  or  sorrow,  and  to  say  from  the  fullness 
of  our  hearts,    "He  hath  done  all  things  well." 


October  12. 

To  say  that  a  man  shall  think  precisely  as  I 
do,  is  to  say  that  he  shall  know  just  w^hat  I  do, 
neither  more  nor  less.  But  surely  I  would  not 
limit  the  knowledge  of  my  brother  to  my  own 
narrow  range  of  thought ;  and  while  the  grand 
essentials  of  divine  truth  are  ever  the  same 
among  all  who  truly  love  and  serve  our  common 
Lord,  yet  forms  of  thought,  and  speech,  and 
expression,  vary  with  every  varying  mind.  He 
who  seeks  Christian  unity  must  go  deeper,  and 
he  will  find  substantial  unity  of  heart  in  all 
who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity. 


October  11, 

\)v.  Siuiiufl  Clarke,  philosopher,  theoloj,Maii,  IGT. 


OctolDer  12. 

Hu^'h  Miller,  geologist,  180L'. 


Jan  Zizka,  Hussite  leader,  died,  1424. 
311 


October  13. 

Conscious  integrity  gives  moral  strength. 
An  erect  man  can  carr}'  a  heavier  load  than  one 
who  stoops ;  and  an  upright  man  has  a  strength 
which  those  who  have  bowed  down  to  false 
gods  know  nothing  of.  A  hollow  heart  makes 
a  feeble  hand.  Whenever  we  try  to  persuade 
ourselves  that  wrong  is  right,  that  duty  is  un- 
important, that  the  thing  we  wish  to  do  we 
may  do  even  though  it  be  forbidden  of  God, 
we  may  bewilder  our  conscience,  and  blind  our 
eyes,  and  drift  away  from  the  path  of  God's 
providence  and  our  own  duty ;  but  we  are  lay- 
ing up  sorrow  for  ourselves. 


October  14. 

Good  husbands  make  good  wives,  and  good 
wives  make  good  husbands ;  and  any  man  who 
regards  his  wife  as  his  inferior,  or  who  boasts 
of  his  superiority  over  her,  will  do  well  to  re- 
member that  he  showed  something  of  the  ex- 
tent of  his  wit  and  wisdom  when  he  picked 
out  a  fool  for  a  wife;  while  wives  making  simi- 
lar comparisons,  may  participate  in  the  ^ame 
consolation. 

312 


October  13. 


October  14. 

William  Pemi,  1G44.        Ida  Pfeiffer,  traveler,  1704. 


OctolDer  15. 

Whatever  the  Avorldly  and  profane  may  saN', 
and  whatever  the  formal  and  hypocritical  may 
think,  no  human  influence  harmonizes  the  hearts 
of  the  household,  strengthens  the  ties  of  love, 
and  unites  the  family  in  the  bonds  of  peace, 
like  the  inlluence  of  family  prayer.  It  is  a 
point  of  union  between  the  earth  and  heaven. 
Here  humility  gains  its  highest  elevation  in 
communion  with  the  Father  of  spirits,  and 
here  the  Majesty  on  high  humbles  itself  to  fel- 
lowship with  sinners  saved  by  grace ;  for  here, 

"  The  Lord  comes  down  our  souls  to  greet ; 
And  glorv  crowns  the  uiercv-seat." 


•October  16. 

Let  us  stand  steadfast  for  the  right ;  for  with 
the  right  is  victory.  No  matter  what  its  fol- 
lowers may  suffer ;  right  may  be  outnumbered, 
out-flanked,  out-voted,  out-generaled,  betrayed 
and  crucified;  and  yet  its  direst  defeat  shall 
turn  to  grandest  triumj^h,  the  crown  of  thorns 
shall  sparkle  with  eternal  lustre,  and  He  w^ho  is 
lifted  up  in  shame  and  infamy,  shall  draw  all 
men  unto  him,  and  sit  at  God's  right  hand, 
until  his  enemies  be  made  his  foot-stool. 

314 


I 


Oototer  15. 

Evaiigelihta  Tonicelli,  inventor  of  baromcttr,  1«/)S 
(i.n.  Irvin  M.Dow  .-11.  U.  S.  A.,  1818,         Vir.Lril.  H^  I'.. 


October  16. 

Koah  Webster,  1758. 


October  17. 

Young  man,  possessed  of  all  the  grand  op- 
portunities of  youthful  life  in  this  swift-speed- 
ing age,  can  you,  will  you,  lease  your  soul  to 
Satan  for  him  to  raise  one  crop  of  ^'  wild  oats'"? 
AVill  you  sell  your  birthright  for  a  summers 
purchase?  Will  you,  in  the  red  gleaming  of  the 
wine  cup,  in  the  deadly  hallucinations  of  nar- 
cotic drugs,  in  the  poison  of  tobacco,  in  the 
pleasures  of  riot,  in  the  foul  pestilences  of  dis- 
ease, in  the  madness  of  the  gaming  table, 
drown  all  there  is  about  you  of  purity,  and 
nobleness,  and  principle,  apd  manliness,  and 
become  a  poor,  degraded,  wretched  thing  and 
die  as  tlie  fool  dieth? 

Octctsr  18. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  come;  when  a  voice  in- 
vites us  to  come^  we  have  little  need  of  direction. 
If  we  are  bidden  to  go,  we  must  learn  where  to 
go,  and  how;  but  the  invitation  ^'Come,"  ex- 
plains itself.  It  is  easy  to  come;  a  child  may 
come ;  one  may  come  who  is  feeble,  who  is  frail, 
who  is  infirm;  and  Christ  has  said,  *'Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  o-ive  vou  rest.'' 


October  17. 


October  18. 

Matthew  Henry,  theolos^ian,  1G62. 


Henry  ^Fartyn,  missionary  and  orientalist,  died.  1.^12. 
317 


October  19. 

It  is  enou«2:h  for  us  to  know  that,  many  and 
mighty  as  are  the  angels  of  the  Most  Higli, 
they  are  ^'' all  ministering  spirits,"  not  called, 
like  the  messengers  of  Satan,  coming  to  tip 
tables  and  talk  nonsense  under  the  guise  of 
ghosts,  at  the  beck  and  for  the  delusion  of 
skeptics  and  infidels,  but  rather  '•^  sent  forth  to 
minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salva- 
tion," over  wliom  God  has  given  them  charge, 
to  keep  tliem  in  all  their  ways;  and  then  in 
such  ways  and  at  such  times  as  pleases  God,  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  who  encampeth  round  about 
them  that  fear  him,  '•'' delkeretli  theniy 


October  20. 

Ventilate  your  cliurches.  Tliere  is  no  doubt 
but  weariness  and  the  bad  air  of  unventilated 
rooms  is  largely  responsible  for  the  drowsiness 
of  many  persons  who,  if  not  fit  for  pillars  in 
the  church,  make  very  sound  *'  sleepers."  The 
Lord  has  poured  out  the  air  forty  miles  deep 
all  around  us,  and  it  is  a  pity  if  his  own  chil- 
dren cannot  have  enough  of  it  to  breathe  while 
they  are  worshiping  Him. 


I 


October  19. 

;  Henry  L«Mf;h  Hunt,  poet  and  essayist,  1784. 
President  John  Adams,  ITS,*}. 


October  20. 

Sir  Cliristopher  Wren,  architect,  1032. 


October  21. 

Let  it  be  settled  in  the  depths  of  your  soul, 
among  the  first  great  prineiples  of  your  being, 
God  loves  one!  Do  not  mistake  the  idea,  and 
make  it  a  conditional  and  uncertain  thing. 
Some  say  or  think,  if  I  am  good  God  will  love 
me, — If  I  feel  happy  it  is  a  proof  that  God 
does  love  me;  and  so  they  go  to  work  to  do 
something  to  onalce  God  love  them.  Vain  at- 
tempt! It  is  like  water  running  up  hill.  ''We 
love  him  because  He  first  loved  us." 


^ 


October  22. 

The  question  of  your  own  personal  safety  and 
eternal  salvation  must  be  decided  by  yourself. 
You  intend  sometime  to  be  a  Christian;  but 
you  will  never  be  unless  you  decide.  You  may 
grow  old  without  deciding  to  do  so ;  your  hair 
may  turn  gray  without  your  decision  or  choice ; 
you  may  be  ill  without  decision ;  you  may  die 
without  deciding  to  die,  but  you  can  never  be- 
come a  Christian  without  coming  to  a  decision 
concerning  the  matter.  There  must  be  some 
day,  some  hour,  some  moment,  when  you  will 
make  up  your  mind  and  decide.  When  shall  it 
be?     Why  not  to-day? 


October  21. 

S.  T.  Coleridge,  poet,  177l'. 

Madame  Goldschmidt,  "Jenny  Lind,"  1S21. 

Rev.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,   D.D.,  author  of   ^'  My  Country, 

'Tis  of  Thee,''  1808. 


October  22. 

Dr.  Alexander  Murray,  philologist,  1775. 
Abb^  Franz  Liszt,  composer,  1811. 


321 


*^ 


October  23, 

No  man  is  fit  to  confute  a  doctrine  which  he 
is  too  indifferent  to  examine  or  comprehend. 
But  it  would  be  hard  to  find  many  skej)tical 
writers  or  speakers  who  have  ever  had  even  a 
fair  look  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  question, 
to  say  nothing  of  a  practical  experience  of  the 
gospel  of  salvation,  without  which  all  theories 
are  but  shells  and  husks.  As  a  rule,  infidels 
know  no  more  about  real  Christianity  than  a 
monkey  does  about  evolution. 


October  24. 

Young  man,  do  not  be  a  tool !  Know  what 
you  are  about.  Do  not  be  slimed  and  swal- 
lowed by  '*  dear  brothers"  and  ''dear  friends." 
Avoid  secret  conclaves  and  dark-lantern  lodges 
and  caucuses.  Keep  out  of  the  toils  of  schem- 
ers and  intriguers.  Understand  icliat  you  do 
and  tcliy  you  do  it.  Examine  before  you  ap- 
prove. Look  before  you  leap.  Beware  of  the 
wiles  of  demagogues  and  wire-pullers.  Shun 
the  flatteries  of  the  crafty.  "Beware  of  the 
Greeks  bringing  presents."  Be  the  Lord's 
man, — not  for  sale  to  any1)ody  nor  at  any 
price. 


October  23. 

Williaui  M.  Taylor,  182l». 


October  24. 


Daniel  Webster,  died,  1852. 
323 


October  25. 

No  external  motive  can  be  stronger  in  its 
influence  upon  both  saint  and  sinner,  than  the 
consideration  of  that  great  event  which  marks 
the  meeting-place  of  two  eternities,  the  crisis  in 
the  liistor}^  of  the  world  and  the  race,  the  hour 
which  bears  the  burden  of  immortal  destinies, 
which  closes  up  this  present  dispensation  of 
mercy  to  the  world,  and  opens  to  our  view  that 
scene  of  glory  which  shall  reach  throughout  all 
the  ages,  world  without  end. 


October  26. 

The  world  is  full  of  talk ;  and  a  great  states- 
man wisely  said:  ''^luch  talking  is  the  enemy 
of  acting."  He  who  plans,  contrives,  ?ind  talks, 
generally  does  nothing  further;  all  his  enthu- 
siasm is  expended  in  his  fervid  utterances;  and 
steam  is  wasted  in  whistling,  until  there  is  none 
left  to  run  the  train. 


October  25. 

Tliumas  Bubinj^tou  Macaulay,  historian,  1800. 


Octcfcsr  25. 


Philip  Dua.liia^'s,  died,  1751. 
325 


October  27. 

Avoid  stimulants.  When  weary,  rest ;  when 
sleepy,  go  to  bed.  They  that  sleep,  sleep  in 
the  night.  Let  the  sleeping-room  be  a  good 
one :  clean,  sweet,  and  spacious,  with  doors  or 
windows  opening  out  into  pure  air ;  and  with 
only  the  lightest  curtains,  so  that  the  daylight 
can  come  in  early  and  wake  you  up.  Eat 
lightly  at  night,  if  you  eat  at  all.  Hearty  sup- 
pers spoil  the  night's  sleep  and  the  next  morn- 
ing's breakfast.  Let  the  stomach  have  rest, 
wdth  the  other  portions  of  the  system,  during 
the  night.  /^Then  lie  down  in  the  peace  of  God, 
and  you  shall  find  that  ''He  giveth  his  beloved 


sleep. ''/ 


October  28. 


As  when  one  looks  upward  from  the  bottom 
of  a  deep  well(^  he  beholds  the  stars  shining 
down  upon  him — lights  which  those  who  are 
enjoying  the  day  alone  cannot  perceive — so 
from  the  deepest,  most  frightful  pit  of  sorrow, 
the  Christian  sees  the  stars  of  God's  promises, 
fixed  and  brioht,  cheering  him  to  endure  to 
the  end.  \ 


326 


October  27. 

Capt.  James  Cook,  uavigator,  17-S. 


October  28. 

Deiiideiius  Erasmus,  reviver  of  classic  literature,  1467 
Johannes  Daniel  Falk,  philanthropist,  1770. 


I 


October  29. 

The  little  graves  shall  be  opened  by  and  by. 
The  night  is  dark,  but  there  is  a  flush  of  morn 
upon  the  mountains,  and  a  gleam  of  sunlight 
glows  along  the  distant  hills.  He  who  bears  the 
keys  of  hell  and  of  death,  shall  come  back  to 
open  the  little  graves,  and  call  the  sleepers 
forth.  Then  cherub  forms  shall  burst  the  silent 
tombs,  and  these  green  hillocks  shall  yield  their 
immortal  harvest  for  the  garner  of  our  God. 


October  30. 

To  accomplish  anything,  we  must  have  an 
olject  in  view.  We  must  keep  our  eye  upon 
that.  If  we  stand  between  two  objects  we  at- 
tain neither.  If  we  run  two  ways  we  reach 
nowhere.  If  we  aim  at  nothing  we  hit  it.  A 
man  to  be  great  in  any  respect  must  concentrate 
his  powers.  Will,  thought,  judgment,  strength, 
and  desire,  must  all  be  fixed  on  one  thing. 
Divide  him,  and  you  conquer  him;  concentrate 
his  powers,  and  he  becomes  invincible. 


October  29. 

Edmund  Ilalley,  astronornqf,  1(\56.  Jol)ii  Keats.  j»o<'t,  1705, 

James  Boswell,  biographer  of  Jolmson,  1740. 


October  30. 

Adelaide  Aime  Proctor,  poetess,  1825 


t 


Octcter  31.  ' 

Many  Christians  would  like  to  labor  for  the 
salvation  of  men,  if  they  could  do  it  on  a  mag- 
nificent scale.  If  they  could  have  a  great  tab- 
ernacle, with  five  thousand  people  inside  and 
as  many  more  trying  to  get  in ;  if  they  could 
preach  like  Apollos,  and  sing  like  David  with 
his  harp  of  solemn  sound ;  if  they  could  spread 
a  big  net  like  Simon  Peter,  and  haul  in  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  great  fishes  at  once,  and 
have  the  story  reported  in  the  newspapers  and 
proclaimed  upon  the  house-tops,  they  would  be 
very  well  content.  (  But  Christ  could  preach  to 
a  single  Nicodemus,  or  to  one  poor  outcast 
woman  at  Jacob's  well,  words  that  shall  live  till 
heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away. 


330 


October  31. 

Bishop  George  Burgess,  IbOfl. 


atejetCTfejer^ 


"It  is  Well." 

2  Kings  iv.  20. 
Clip  from  the  brow  one  sunny  tress, 

One  cnrl  that  decked  tlie  little  head; 
Give  the  cold  clay  one  last  caress, 

Weep,  mother,  weep;  thy  child  is  dead ! 

Yet  stay  the  anguish  of  thy  heart, 
Nor  of  thy  grief  with  murmur  tell ; 

What  though  thy  hopes  like  dreams  depart  ? 
Still  faith  confesses,  "It  is  well,'' 

Takeoff  the  little  shoes,  half  worn, 
In  thorny  paths  and  rugged  ways: 

Lay  off  the  garments  soiled  and  torn ; 
Lay  down  the  cares  of  many  days. 

Xo  more  thine  eyes  with  sorrows  dim, 
Shall  watch  those  wayward  little  feet ; 

But  angels  bright,  and  cherubim 

Shall  guide  them  up  the  golden  street. 

Safe  on  that  distant  shining  shore, 
Where  the  long-parted  ones  shall  meet. 

And  meeting  once,  shall  part  no  more — 
There  thou  the  loved  and  lost  shall  greet. 


November  1. 

About  the  most  uncommon  kind  of  sense  in 
the  world  is  conmion  sense ;  by  which  term  we 
describe  the  aggregate  and  final  conclusions  of 
men  of  average  intelligence  and  perception.  It 
lags  far  behind  genius  in  its  loftiest  flights,  and 
often  reaches  after  much  delay,  conclusions  at 
which  superior  intelligence  at  once  arrives ;  but 
in  its  cautious  hesitation  it  avoids  many  rash 
inferences  into  which  the  more  intellectual  and 
gifted  are  frequently  betrayed,  and  reaches  con- 
clusions safe,  sound,  and  abiding. 


November  2. 

Scoffers  and  skeptics  think  that  Christians 
are  weak-minded,  and  that  religion  is  only  fit 
for  women  and  children.  But  if  piety  is  a 
mark  of  mental  weakness,  it  might  be  well  for 
some  of  the  drunken  lords  of  creation  who  talk 
infidelity  while  their  wives  take  in  washing,  if 
they  were  a  little  weaker  in  mind  themselves, 
instead  of  being  so  wise  and  worthless  as  they 
are.  If  piety  proves  a  woman's  weakness,  does 
drunkenness  prove  her  husband's  strength? 


November  1. 

liishop  Goorjje  Horno,  Biblical  expositor,  1730. 
Balfour  Stewart,  prof.  uat.  philosophy,  1828. 


November  2. 

Stephen  Grellett,  1773.        Marie  Antoinette,  1755. 


November  3. 

Many  a  man  liuds  himself  beset  with  calam- 
ities and  troubles,  simply  because  he  sees  to-day 
what  other  people  will  see  to-morrow,  or  next 
year,  or  ten  years  hence.  And  during  all  this 
time  of  waiting,  a  man  who  is  true  to  his  con- 
victions may  be  left  to  light  his  battle  alone; 
and  if  he  has  a  faint  heart  or  a  feeble  hand  he 
will  find  it  difficult  to  maintain  the  strife. 


NovemlDer  4. 

Some  musicians  will  play  an  old  familiar 
tune  with  so  many  variations  that  its  author 
would  hardly  recognize  it.  And  so  it  is  one  of 
the  misfortunes  of  this  age  to  have  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  preached  with  innumerable  variations. 
The  old  tune  is  retained,  for  there  could  be 
neither  melody  nor  harmony  w^ithout  it-,  but 
every  nation,  every  country  and  every  age  has 
produced  its  variations ;  and  on  every  hand  we 
find  names,  forms,  ceremonies  and  doctrines, 
all  of  which  profess  to  be  Scriptural  and  Chris- 
tian, but  w^hich  differ  very  widely  from  each 
other;  and  more  widely  still  from  the  Word  of 
God.  Is  it  not  time  to  get  back  to  ^'  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus"  ? 


November  3. 

William  Cullen  Bryant,  1704. 
Samuel  Ulemetts  ( Mark  Twain),  1835. 


Mendelssohn,  died,  1847, 

November  4. 

James  Montgomery,  1771. 


November  5. 

Those  who  scoff  loudest  scare  easiest.  When 
a  man  is  living  a  humble,  trustful,  Christian 
life,  he  is  ready  for  storm  or  calm ;  but  he  who 
mocks  at  God  and  judgment  in  fair  weather 
and  on  dry  land,  is  likely  to  weaken  terribly 
when  storms  and  dancrers  come. 


November  6. 

The  angel  of  the  Lord  ordered  Philip  down 
towards  Gaza,  and  "he  arose  and  went"  with- 
out delay.  By  this  guiding  providence,  and 
Philip's  prompt  obedience,  the  gospel  was  sent 
hito  the  heart  of  Ethiopia  and  into  the  palace 
of  the  queen :  and  a  work  was  done  under  the 
direction  of  the  angel  of  God  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  Philip,  acting  on  ordinary  lines 
of  human  wisdom,  and  under  the  direction  of 
human  boards  and  associations,  might  not  have 
accomplished  in  a  lifetime.  Had  Philip  waited 
when  the  Spirit  urged  him,  and  as  long  as 
some  of  us  wait,  the  eunuch  would  have  got 
half-way  to  Ethiopia  before  Philip  had  decided 
to  speak  to  him,  and  when  he  reached  the  place, 
he  would  have  found  nothing  but  a  chariot 
track  in  the  sand. 

338 


r 

NoYember  5. 


November  6. 


November  7. 

Talk  is  cheap, — actions  tell  what  men  really 
believe.  "By  faith  Noah"  not  only  preached 
righteousness,  but  also  '  ''prepared  an  arlc  to  the 
saving  of  his  house;  by  the  which  he  con- 
demned the  world,  and  became  heir  of  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith."  The  ark 
preached  louder  than  Noah  did,  and  condemned 
the  world.  ^  If  you  want  to  know  what  a  man 
Relieves  find  out  what  he  is  doing.  Faith  pro- 
duces action,  testimony,  and  life. 


November  8. 

I  It  is  sometimes  said  that  Lt  makes  no  differ- 
ence what  men  believe,  if  they  live  right.  But 
there  is  a  most  intimate  connection  between 
right  thinking  and  right  acting.  No  error  is 
harmless,  and  the  cast  of  mind  which  accepts 
and  delights  in  error,  is  prone  to  depart  from 
the  paths  of  righteousness  in  practice  as  well 
as  in  theory.  The  man  who  does  not  render, 
to  God  the  things  that  are  God's  will  not  be 
likely  to  render  to  Ciesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's.  A  man  Avho  thinks  crookecf  will  not 
be  likely  to  act  straight. 

340 


November  7. 


November  8. 

Edward  Kobeit  Bulvver,  Lord  Lytton  (Owen  Meredith),  1831. 
Edward  Pocock,  D.D.,  orientali^^t,  1G04. 


November  9. 

The  devil  is  wide  awake,  but  a  good  many 
Christians  seem  fast  asleep.  They  are  idle 
while  he  is  busy.  In  every  conflict  with  error, 
truth  will  win,  2)f'ovided  it  be  faithfully  p7v- 
clalmed;  but  if  the  advocates  of  truth  keep 
silence,  w^hile  the  friends  of  error  and  falsehood 
are  busy,  who*  can  foresee  the  results?  Let 
Christian  men  awake  to  a  sense  of  tlieir  duty 
and  their  responsibility,  and  work  while  the 
day  lasts,  for  the  night  cometh  wherein  no 
work  can  be  done. 


November  10. 

'  Some  people  are  too  busy,  and  do  not  find 
time  to  pray  once  in  a  whole  day ;  Daniel  had 
only  one  hundred  and  twenty  princes  to  look 
after,  a  lot  of  politicians  and  thieves  to  watch, 
and  the  finances  of  a  government  upon  his 
shoulders;  and  yet  three  times  a  day  he  found 
time  to  kneel  before  God,  and  pray,  with  his 
windows  open  toward  Jerusalem. 


NovembG 


November  10. 

Martin  Luther,  1483.        Oliver  Goldsmith,  1728. 
Rev,  John  Gumming,  D.D.,  1810. 
Friedrich  Schiller,  poet,  1759. 
Granville  Sharp,  founder  of  the  British    "  Society  for  the  Abo- 
lition of  Slavery,"  1734. 


November  11. 

The  basis  of  true  Christian  unity  is  union 
with  Jesus  Christ  who  is  the  head  of  the 
bod}'.  Men  lay  down  as  the  basis  of  their  unity, 
union  with  some  human  leader,  through  the 
doctrines  which  he  has  proclaimed  or  the  forms 
which  he  has  instituted.  Such  men  are  united 
by  external  observances,  by  laws,  forms,  rites 
and  bands.  Their  union  is  the  union  of  staves 
in  a  barrel;  Christ's  union  is  the  union  of 
branches  in  a  vine.  The  unity  which  Christ 
inaugurated  embraces  the  whole  family  of  God. 
He  prayed  *'  that  all  may  be  one." 


November  12. 

There  is  abundant  energy  wasted  in  babble 
and  brag,  and  some  people,  instead  of  attending 
to  their  own  personal  work,  pay  so  much  atten- 
tion to  reporting  and  publishing  what  they  call 
^'the  progress  of  the  cause,"  that  ere  they  are 
aware  they  have  no  '*  cause  "  to  attend  to.  In- 
stead of  going  forth  to  sow  the  precious  seed, 
they  prefer  to  stand  over  a  hill  of  corn  with  a 
trumpet,  waiting  to  blow  a  blast  as  soon  as 
they  see  it  coming  up. 


November  11. 

John  Albert  Fabriciius,  Gcruiaii  .scholar,  16<X. 


Novemter  12. 

Richard  Baxter,  1015. 


November  13. 

Deeds  speak  louder  than  words,  and  acts  are 
more  forcible  than  arguments.  In  the  cabin  of 
a  steamboat  where  travelers  were  passing  to  and 
fro,  and  where  ungodliness  and  ribaldry  seemed 
more  at  home  than  piety  and  prayer,  a  little 
German  boy  kneeled  by  his  father's  side  and 
lifted  up  his  childish  voice  in  the  utterance  of 
his  evening  petition.  It  was  a  little  thing,  but 
it  shed  a  hush  of  quiet  thoughtfulness  over  the 
careless  and  worldly,  which  might  not  have 
been  attained  by  hours  of  argument  and  dispu- 
tation. 


November  14. 

One  of  the  greatest  financiers  of  the  age  at- 
tributed his  success  largely  to  the  fact  that  he 
kept  his  own  counsel,  and  did  his  own  business, 
without  confiding  it  to  those  around  him.  A 
man  of  much  ability  was  accustomed,  in  giving 
orders  to  his  subordinates,  to  say,  *'Go  and  do 
it,  and  say  nothing  about  it."  One  of  the 
shrewdest  and  most  effective  organizations  in 
the  world  has  adopted  as  a  motto  or  rule  for 
action,  '^  Act^  but  do  not  agitate.^'' 


November  13. 

St.  Augustine,  oo-i. 


November  14. 

Sir  Chas.  Lyell,  gpolodst,  1707. 


November  15. 

Gold  needs  no  gilding.  The  wisdom  from 
above  is  so  good  that  it  needs  no  pretension  or 
deception  to  commend  it.  Hypocrisy  is  the 
tribute  which  vice  pays  to  virtue.  He  who 
lives  a  righteous  life  has  no  reason  to  pretend  to 
be  better  than  he  is.  He  who  is  full  of  trick- 
ery and  villany  is  glad  to  make  pretension  to 
virtue  which  he  does  not  possess.  The  faithful 
man  pursues  his  way  in  quietness.  The  fruit 
of  righteousness  is  sown  in  peace.  They  best 
sow  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom  who  w^ork 
quietly,  unnoticed  by  the  world,  and  accomplish 
the  mission  which  is  given  them  to  fulfill. 


November  16. 

People  talk  of  getting  religion.  Religion  is 
something  to  be  done  rather  than  to  be  gotten. 
Visiting  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in  their 
affliction  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  especially 
the  work  of  a  church  pastor ;  but  it  would  be  a 
sad  thing  to  find  that  all  the  religion  in,  the 
church  was  in  possession  of  the  pastor  and  the 
hired  missionarv. 


I 


November  15. 

Tlmrlow  Weed,  1797.        Win.  Pitt,  first  Earl  of  Chatham,  17(»8. 
Richard  Henry  Dana.  Sr.,  Ed.  of  X.  A.  Review,  1787. 


November  16. 

Heiniich  Geovcr  August  Ewald,  orientalist  and  historian,  1803. 
John  Bright,  1811. 


November  17. 

The  Bible  is  especially  the  poor  man's  book. 
It  was  mostly  written  by  poor  men.  It  records 
God's  care  for  the  poor;  it  is  filled  with  God's 
promises  to  the  poor ;  and  whenever  the  Bible  is 
faithfully  proclaimed  the  Gospel  will  be  preached 
to  the  poor.  Let  us  take,  then,  this  word,  and 
going  to  rich  and  poor,  to  small  and  great,  pro- 
claim to  a  lost  race  the  power  and  grace  of  him 
who  died  to  save  mankind.  Let  us  carry  this 
light  to  those  who  sit  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death.  Let  us  pour  this  balm  into 
humanity's  bruised  and  broken  heart,  and  thus 
comfort  all  that  mourn. 

•NovemlDer  18. 

The  best  thing  that  can  be  done  with  a  bad 
habit,  is  to  quit  it.  It  may  be  hard,  but  it  is 
not  harder  than  cutting  off  a  hand,  or  plucking 
out  an  eye.  When  an  evil  habit  is  once  con- 
quered, the  victim  can  rejoice  in  his  new-found 
liberty,  and  escape  the  taunts  and  sneers  of 
those  who,  however  unmindful  of  their  own 
duties  and  obligations,  are  quick  to  see  the 
slightest  departure  from  the  true  and  right  way 
in  the  case  of  those  who  profess  to  be  the  serv- 
ants of  God. 


November  17. 


November  18. 

Sir  David  Wilkie,  painter,  1785. 


361 


November  19. 

Surely  there  is  no  business  in  which  a  man 
could  lose  money  with  greater  satisfaction  than 
in  publishing  the  gospel  of  Him  who  though 
he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  became  poor, 
that  we  through  his  poverty  might  be  rich. 
Thousands  of  business  men  fail  through  put- 
ting money  into  outside  speculations.  Did  any 
man  ever  fail  through  giving  money  judiciously 
and  even  lavishly  to  the  work  and  cause  of  God? 
If  so  we  would  like  to  hear  of  an  instance — we 
have  never  heard  of  one  yet.  !N"o  investment 
is  safer  than  money  that  is  lent  to  the  Lord, 
and  devoted  to  his  work — no  treasures  are  more 
secure  than  those  which  are  laid  up  in  heaven. 


November  20. 

Men  will  do  almost  anything  for  money,  and 
we  can  conceive  that  some  poor  wretch  might 
be  hired  for  a  thousand  dollars,  to  go  through 
this  world  a  filthy,  nauseous,  tobacco-soaked 
nuisance.  But  to  believe  a  man  would  pay  a 
thousand  dollars  for  the  privilege,  is  rather  a 
tax  on  human  credulity.  And  yet  facts  seem  to 
indicate  that  this  is  the  case, 

352 


November  19. 

.» auies  A.  Gartield,  1831.        Albert  Thorwaldaeu,  aculptor,  1770. 


Novemter  20. 

Thomas  Chatteitou,  poet,  1752. 


353 


November  21. 

Man  of  God,  pay  up!  Live  within  your 
means,  if  you  eat  nothing  but  roasted  potatoes 
and  corn-cake.  Do  not  roll  in  comfort  and 
luxury,  feasting  on  other  people's  money  while 
you  live,  and  then  slip  out  of  the  world  leaving 
your  children  to  brave  the  storm  of  adversity, 
and  your  wife  to  meet  the  creditors  you  have 
dodged.  Come  down  where  you  belong.  If 
you  are  in  debt,  pay  up.  Sell  out,  and  clear 
matters  up.  You  can  settle  your  business  a 
great  deal  better  than  your  executors  will  be 
likely  to  when  you  are  dead.  Come  down  to 
hard-pan.      ^'Owe  no  man  anything." 


Kovember  22. 

It  is  not  only  a  man's  business  to  do  right, 
but  it  is  also  liis  business  to  appear  to  do  right, 
to  abstain  from  every  shape  of  evil ;  and  what- 
ever course  he  may  take  which  provokes  the 
reproof  of  candid  persons,  even  if  certain  in 
his  own  mind  that  it  be  not  a  wrong  one,  yet 
unless  compelled  by  a  positive  sense  of  duty, 
he  should  hesitate  long  before  proceeding  to 
brave  that  reproof,  or  defy  that  criticism. 

354 


November  21. 


November  22. 

rrof.  Dugald  Stewart,  Scotch  metaphysician,  1753. 


November  23. 

God  who  made  man  from  the  dust  at  first, 
can  restore  him  to  life  after  he  has  turned  to 
dust  again.  He  who  plants  such  vitality  in  tiny- 
seeds  that  after  years  and  years  of  dormancy 
they  burst  and  grow,  and  bud  and  blossom,  can 
also  restore  the  dead  who  have  slumbered  for 
ages  in  their  tombs,  and  bring  them  forth  to 
life  and  joy  and  immortality.  Man  is  of  more 
value  than  a  flower.  God  will  not  preserve  the 
lilies  of  the  field,  and  forget  his  own  children. 


November  24. 

Cannot  a  man  drink  liquor  moderately?  That 
depends  upon  the  man,  and  upon  the  drink. 
Probably  many  of  the  devilish  compounds 
which  are  sold  to-day  under  the  names  of  rum, 
brandy,  etc.,  cannot  be  habitually  taken  in  mod- 
eration for  any  length  of  time  by  any  one. 
They  poison  the  blood,  craze  the  brain,  and 
while  the  man  supposes  he  is  on  the  firm  ground 
of  moderation,  he  finds  himself  knee-deep  in 
the  quicksands  of  disease  and  drunkenness. 

356 


November  23. 

Kev,  Johu  Gill,  Biblical  expositor,  1G97. 


November  24. 

Grace  Darlinjj,  heroine  of  Longstone  Lighthouse,  1815. 


John  Knox,  dit-d,  1572. 
357 


November  25. 

Supply  your  family  with  good,  useful  books. 
Do  not  expect  them  to  read  masses  of  ancient 
stupidity ;  and  do  not  allow  them  to  read  sensa- 
tional and  ungodly  trash.  Have  your  eyes  open ; 
and  if  you  do  not  yourself  understand  the  mat- 
ter, ask  counsel  of  the  wisest  and  most  intelli- 
gent people  that  you  know ;  then  make  up  your 
mind,  and  let  your  expenditure  for  wholesome 
reading  matter  be  as  legitimate  and  as  regular 
as  any  other  expense  you  may  incur. 

November  26. 

Of  all  the  hordes  of  able-bodied  beggars 
whom  we  have  seen  and  aided  during  months 
and  years  of  hard  times,  we  have  not  found  a 
single  happy  Christian ;  not  one  who  bore  the 
marks  and  gave  evidence  of  being  a  faithful 
servant  of  the  Lord;  and  not  one  in  ten  but 
had  wasted  on  tobacco  the  money  that  they 
should  have  spent  for  bread.  They  got  the 
whiskey  and  tobacco  first,  and  then  came  to  us 
who  had  never  spent  a  shilling  for  either,  and 
wanted  us  to  provide  them  with  bread  !  In  this 
way,  honest,  temperate,  decent  people,  have  to 
meet  the  expense  of  supporting  those  who  live 
in  sin  and  serve  the  devil. 

358 


November  25. 

Laurence  Sterne,  Englibh  humorist,  1713.- 


November  26. 


13J2- 


359 


November  27. 

A  blacksmith,  when  slandered  and  abused, 
was  urged  to  have  recourse  to  law,  but  replied, 
*'No!  I  can  go  into  my  shop  and  hammer  out 
a  better  character  than  any  twelve  men  in  a 
jury-box  can  give  me."  A  character  hammered 
out  on  a  blacksmith's  anvil  is  better  than  one 
forged  in  courts  of  law.  Hammer  out  your 
own  character ;  and  when  it  is  done  it  will  be 
well  done,  and  you  will  pass  for  what  you  are 
worth  among  honest  people  who  know  you: 
and  as  for  others,  the  day  of  judgment  will  set 
you  right  with  them. 

November  28. 

Timely  vigilance  is  better  than  tardy  violence. 
Servants  who  sleep  while  tares  are  sown  can 
never  undo  the  mischief  that  they  have  per- 
mitted to  occur.  The  Lord  has  little  use  for 
sleepy  servants.  God's  servants  should  be  wide- 
awake men — men  who  discern  the  course  of  the 
world,  who  read  the  signs  of  the  times,  who 
are  not  beguiled  by  the  falsehoods,  deceived 
by  hypocrites,  nor  benumbed  by  the  opiates 
which  stupefy  so  many,  but  who  are  ever  sober 
and  vigilant,  passing  the  time  of  their  sojourn- 
ing here  in  fear. 


November  27. 

lishoji  Robert  Lowth,  Biblical  critic,  1710. 
Anders  Celsius,  astronomer.  1701. 


November  28. 

rapt.  iU'o.  Wm.  Manby,  inventor  of  life-savinjr  apparatus. 1701. 


Wasbin.irton  Irving,  died.  18a9. 
361 


November  29. 

We  see  no  reason  why  the  gift  of  tongues 
may  not  be  granted  now,  as  well  as  of  old,  when 
it  is  needed  by  God's  messengers.  But  if  it  is 
to  be  a  source  of  pride  and  vainglorying,  or  an 
occasion  of  jargon  and  confusion,  until  the  un- 
learned and  unbelievers  ''say  that  ye  are  mad," 
then  tlie  gift  of  holding  the  tongue  would  seem 
to  be  especially  desirable ;  as  it  is  certainly  very 
rare. 


1 


NovemlDer  30. 

It  is  surprising  what  a  reputation  for  wisdom 
and  piety  may  be  won  by  a  man  who  never 
laughs.  Children  fear  him,  ordinary  people 
stand  abashed  at  his  approach,  and  a  dread 
**  solemnity  "  broods  over  all  he  does  and  says. 
But  sometimes  the  owlish  wisdom  of  such  a  si- 
lent man  proves  to  be  defective,  and  men  learn 
that  while  seriousness  and  gravity  are  appropri- 
ate in  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  hypocrisy  and 
deception  are  very  far  from  being  desirable. 
Honesty  is  better  than  mere  *' solemnity." 


November  29. 

Wendell  Phillips,  1811. 


November  30. 

Cyrus  West  Field,  1819.         Jonathan  Swift,  1667. 
Anthony  Rubinstein,  pianist,  1829. 


To  THE  Motherless. 

Daughter,  though  on  thy  sunny  brow, 
The  hght  of  j^outh  is  glancing  now, 
Yet  softer  still,  from  Heaven  above, 
Falls  on  thy  face  the  light  of  love. 

Unknown  to  thee,  a  heart  once  yearned — 
With  love  a  mother's  bosom  buined; 
That  love,  forgotten  and  unknown. 
Bends  softly  o'er  thee  from  the  throne. 

Though  death  has  closed  thy  mother's  cares, 
Heaven  garners  still  her  tears  and  prayers, 
And  light  from  them  along  thy  way 
Guides  thee  to  realms  of  perfect  day. 

Daughter,  amid  earth's  gilded  snares 
Never  forget  thy  mother's  prayers; — 
Prayers  poured  by  night  and  day  for  thee, 
That  slie  her  child  redeemed  might  see. 

Then  walk  thou  in  the  good  old  way, 
Lowly  and  watchlul  day  by  day; 
Obedient  to  the  faithful  word. 
Like  thy  blest  mother,  like  thy  Lord. 

So  when  the  just  in  jny  shall  rise, 
Thy  glance  shall  meet  thy  mother's  eyes; 
And  thou  shalt  hear,  in  accents  mild, 
A  mother's  voice  exclaim,  **My  child!" 


IjtJSJttmhj^K^ 


"Be  Ye  Kind." 

Long  Thou  hast  linked  our  hearts  with  thino, 

In  holy  fellowship  divine, 

Help  us  thy  tender  love  to  show 

To  all  wlio  love  thee  here  below. 

As  they,  with  many  a  fault  and  pain, 

Are  struggling  on,  their  rest  to  gain. 

Oh  may  our  hearts  with  jjity  move, 

Toward  all  the  objects  of  thy  love. 

Tempted  and  tried,  untaught,  untrained, 

How  few  the  victory  have  gained, 

Help  us  to  aid  them  in  the  strife, 

As  followers  of  the  Lord  of  Life. 

Thou  Lord  dost  make  the  weak  thy  care. 

Thou  dost  their  faults  and  follies  bear; 

Oh  that  our  tenderness  may  prove 

We  love  the  souls  whom  thou  dost  love. 

When  burdened  and  opprest  with  wrongs, 

Or  wounded  by  unruly  tongue:^, 

Help  us  with  patience  still  to  bear. 

And  seek  relief  in  earnest  prayer. 

May  we  no  ill  for  ill  return, 

In  us  may  anger  never  burn. 

But,  free  from  bitterness  and  strife, 

Walk  as  the  heirs  of  endless  life. 

Soon  shall  each  pang  that  rends  the  heart, 

"With  all  time's  mists  and  clouds  depart, 

Oh  then  in  fellowship  most  sweet, 

May  we  the  saiuts  iu  glory  meet. 

365 


December  1. 

Nothing  is  enduring  in  the  service  of  God  but 
downright  honesty.  And  pretended  emotions 
which  men  do  not  feel^  but  which  they  simply 
put  on,  seem  no  better  than  any  other  form  of 
falsehood  or  hypocrisy.  God  desireth  '''truth 
in  the  inward  parts,"  and  if  w^e  would  approach 
him  acceptably,  it  must  not  be  with  sham  peti- 
tions, hypocritical  tones,  and  simulated  tears, 
but  vdi\\  a  ' '  true  heart,  and  in  full  assurance  of 
faith." 

December  2. 

It  would  be  hard  work  to  run  a  mill  by  water 
if  we  had  first  to  pump  the  water  up  to  do  it. 
And  yet  there  are  some  persons  whose  Christian 
life  might  well  be  represented  by  such  a  mill. 
Without  energy  wdthin,  they  are  trying  to  put 
forth  effort  without ;  they  are  making  vows  and 
resolutions,  and  hunting  heaven  and  earth  for 
motives  to  move  them  and  to  restrain  them,  but 
their  efforts  are  vain.  But  if  above  where  the 
mill  stands  there  is  a  vast  reservoir  from  w^hich 
w^ater  comes  rushing  down,  w^hen  the  torrent 
strikes  the  machinery  everything  is  in  motion 
at  once;  and  if  God's  blessing  comes  upon  us 
from  above,  then  labor  is  easy  and  service  is 
sweet. 

366 


December  1. 

Albert  Barnes,  commentator,  17l>8. 


December  2. 

Dora  Tedro  II.,  Emperor  of  Brazil,  1825. 


December  3. 

How  different  from  Samson  the  mighty  ath- 
lete on  the  wild  hills  of  Judea,  was  Samson  the 
poor,  blind  captive,  grinding  in  the  Philistine 
prison-house.  No  longer  a  hero,  a  -warrior,  a 
conqueror,  but  degraded  to  do  the  work  of  the 
meanest  slave,  he  was  helpless  in  his  captivity 
and  bondage,  and  was  forced  to  toil  on  in  bit- 
terness and  disgrace.  And  is  not  this  ever  the 
fate  of  those  w^ho,  chosen  of  God  to  do  this 
w^ork,  fall  from  their  high,  estate,  and  are  led 
captive  by  Satan  at  his  will? 

December  4. 

It  is  a  very  hard  thing  to  hide  a  sin.  It  is 
like  hiding  a  seed  or  a  root  in  the  ground.  It 
draws  strength  in  its  concealment,  and  finally 
pushing  up  througli  the  soil  brings  forth  fruit, 
thirty,  sixty,  and  a  hundred-fold.  Sin  is  not 
dead  enough  to  be  safely  buried.  It  is  like  a 
smoldering  flame.  It  is  like  a  poisonous  seed ; 
it  will  w^ork  ruin  in  its  concealment,  and  finally 
break  out  into  open  ungodliness,  and  destroy 
on  every  hand.  A  sin  needs  to  be  dragged  out 
of  its  hiding-place  and  extirpated.  Hiding  it 
only  gives  it  a  fresh  hold.  ^'He  that  covereth 
his  sins  shall  not  prosper." 


December  3. 

Siim'l  Ciuiiiptoii,  inventor  of  spinniuj^-niule,  175ii. 
Gen.  Geo.  Biiuton  McClcllan,  U.  S.  A.,  1826. 


December  4. 

Rev.  Charles  F.  Deems,  D.D.,  1820.  Thomas  Carlyle,  1795. 

John  Kitto,  D.D.,  1804.  Miss  Fiances  Power  Cobbe,  1822. 


DecemlDer  3. 

We  are  told  that  ^ '  A  fool  uttereth  all  his 
mind :  but  a  wise  man  keepeth  it  in  till  after- 
wards." So  a  man  -who  tells  everything  he 
knows,  may  be  set  down  as  a  fair  specimen  of  a 
fool.  Again  w^e  read,  ' '  the  prosperity  of  fools 
shall  destroy  them."  And  when  we  see  a  man 
who,  because  he  happens  to  have  a  little  money, 
spends  his  time  in  dissipation  and  goes  straight 
to  ruin,  we  may  count  him  for  a  fool.  We  are 
told  that  ''the  folly  of  fools  is  deceit."  This 
seems  to  show  that  one  mark  of  a  fool  is  to  try 
to  deceive  people  by  little  tricks  and  games, 
pretending  to  be  what  he  is  not,  and  in  various 
ways  imposing  upon  the  credulity  of  others. 
The  result  of  it  all  is,  the  man  finds  himself 
a  fool  at  the  end. 

December  6. 

With  age  there  is  experience;  with  youth, 
enterprise ;  age  has  caution ;  youth,  ardor.  If 
the  two  can  be  united,  we  may  have  "  old  men 
for  counsel,  and  young  men  for  war."  But  if 
old  men  insist  on  being  leaders  in  war  as  well 
as  in  counsel,  and  the  young  wish  to  monopo- 
lize both  counsel  and  war,  there  is  little  hope 
that  much  good  will  be  accomplished. 


December  5. 


December  6. 

Frederick  Max  Miiller,  orientalist,  1823. 
Warren  Hastings,  1732. 


December  7. 

Society  has  immense  burdens,  and  where 
there  is  the  greatest  suffering  there  is  usually 
the  greatest  waste.  While  Ireland  groans  with 
famine,  whiskey -sellers  thrive.  The  higher  wa- 
ges which  many  clamor  for,  simply  means  less 
work,  more  beer,  and  more  time  spent  loafing 
about  saloons  and  rum-shops.  When  men  can 
rule  their  own  appetites,  they  are  likely  to  im- 
prove their  positions ;  but  those  who  are  slaves 
to  evil  habits  need  never  hope  for  independence 
or  prosperity. 


December  8. 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  leiug  good 
and  doing  good.  Some  people  suppose  that  if 
a  man  will  only  do  good  he  is  certain  to  he  good. 
But  a  man  may  do  a  great  many  good  things, 
and  still  lack  the  element  of  goodness  within. 
He  may  do  them  to  be  seen  of  men,  or  to  de- 
ceive people ;  and  so  his  well-doing  may  prove 
only  a  cloak  for  all  iniquity. 

The  divine  order  is  not,  first  do^  and  then  te^ 
but  first  le^  and  then  do.  The  fountain  is  to  be 
made  sweet,  and  then  the  waters  may  be  ex- 
pected to  be  pure. 


December  7. 

Jacob  Knapp,  1799.        Rev.  P.  8.  Heuson,  1831. 


December  8. 

Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots,  1;542. 


373 


December  9. 

Whoever  ties  his  boat  to  a  sinking  ship  will 
go  down;  and  whoever  links  himself  with 
wrong  is  sure,  eventually,  to  encounter  over- 
throw. There  may  be  temporary  prosperity, 
but  there  will  be  final  defeat;  there  may  be 
present  success,  but  there  will  be  eternal  ruin. 
Hence  they  consult  their  wisdom  and  their 
safety,  who  cling  to  the  right  at  whatever  cost ; 
not  through  stubbornness  of  will,  but  through 
steadfastness  of  faith  and  honesty  of  conscience. 


December  10. 

Many  lights  may  be  kindled  from  one  glowing 
torch;  and  many  souls  can  be  saved  through 
one  living,  loving  Christian's  efforts.  Let  us 
cease  to  talk  of  the  coldness  of  others,  and  get 
on  fire  ourselves.  Let  us  talk  with  Jesus  by 
the  way,  till  our  own  hearts  burn  within  us  as 
he  opens  unto  us  the  Scriptures ;  andthen  other 
hearts  will  burn  as  we  tell  to  them  the  things 
that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God. 

374 


December  9. 

Gustavus  (II.)  Adolphus,  Kinj?  of  Sweden.  1594. 
John  Milton,  1608. 


December  10. 

William  Ho<;arth,  satirist  and  painter,  1G9T. 


December  11. 

There  are  various  ways  of  repairing  damaged 
reputations.  Some  undertake  to  do  it  with  pis- 
tols, others  with  cowhides;  occasionally  a  man 
goes  into  court  and  gets  judgment  and  dam- 
ages— sometimes  more  damages  than  judgment; 
in  other  cases  he  rushes  into  print,  and  says  his 
say,  and  rejoices  if  he  can  get  the  last  word. 
All  these  methods  have  their  advantages  and 
defects ;  but  the  Christian's  safest  course  is  to 
so  live  that  if  ' '  all  manner  of  evil "  be  spoken 
against  him,  it  shall  be  spoken  falsely  and  for 
Christ's  name's  sake.  Hence  his  best  answer 
to  slanders  and  falsehoods  is  an  earnest  deter- 
mination to  walk  uprightly  before  God  and  man. 

December  12. 

Men  do  not  always  distinguish  between  char- 
acter and  reputation.  Reputation  is  the  stamp 
on  the  coin,  character  is  the  gold  in  it.  The 
stamp  may  be  placed  upon  base  metal,  and  so 
a  worthless  man  may  have  a  great  reputation ; 
but  pure  gold  is  gold,  whether  it  bears  any 
stamp  at  all ;  and  so  a  man  may  have  a  right- 
eous character  long  after  his  reputation  is  gone 
to  the  dogs, — or  the  dogs  have  gone  for  his 
reputation. 


Decemter  11. 

Hettoi  Herlioz.  musical  composfT,  1803, 


December  12. 

William  Lloyd  Garrison.  1804. 


December  13. 

The  royal  barbarian,  who  smashed  an  offend- 
ing mirror  which  gave  him  iiis  first  opportunity 
of  seeing  himself  as  others  saw  him,  was  a  fair 
type  of  many  who  deprecate  criticism  and  are 
angry  with  those  who  tell  the  truth.  For  there 
are  comparatively  few  who  are  willing  to  be 
''weighed  in  an  even  balance,"  and  look  the 
exact  facts  of  their  own  condition  fairly  and 
squarely  in  the  face,  and  see  themselves  as  God 
sees  them  now,  and  as  others  will  see  them  in 
the  judgment  day. 

December  14. 

There  are  some  persons  whose  ideal  of  a 
Christian  life  is  that  of  an  unvarying,  unruffled 
placidity.  What  they  call  a  "Christian  spirit" 
seems  often  to  be  no  spirit  at  all.  Their  model 
Christian  is  a  man  without  points  or  angles,  a 
sort  of  human  jelly-fish ;  or  a  man  who  can  con- 
trol his  emotions  to  accomplish  his  purposes; 
who  can  state  a  falsehood  with  more  unction 
than  an  ordinary  man  can  command  in  telling 
the  truth;  and  who  can  do,  under  the  guise  of 
sainthood,  things  which  would  shock  and  dis- 
gust an  ordinary  sinner.  And  yet  all  this  ex- 
ternal whitewash  fails  to  disguise  the  odor  of 
the  sepulchre  beneath. 

373 


December  13. 

llev,  riiiUi|>b  liiooks.  iS-'i").    Kev.  Arthur  remiiyii  Staulcy,  181") 


December  14. 

Prof.  Noah  Porter,  D.D.,  LL.  D.,  1811. 
Frances  Ridley  Havergal,  1830. 


I 


Geo.  Wasliinstoii,  died,  1700. 
379 


December  15. 

There  is  so  much  whitewashing  of  friends 
and  blackwasliing  enemies  in  political  and  relig- 
ious circles,  that  an  endorsement  is  in  many 
instances  a  poor  recommendation ;  and  many  a 
man  gets  on  quite  as  well  without  it  as  with  it. 
Those  wlio  seek  endorsements,  usually  need 
them.  Paul,  when  jiersecuting  the  church,  was 
very  careful  to  be  well  endorsed  with  letters 
and  authority  from  the  chief  priests ;  but  w^hen 
lie  was  sent  of  God  to  preach  the  gospel,  we  do 
not  hear  of  his  stuffing  his  pockets  with  papers 
containing  evidence  that  he  was  an  honest  man, 
2  Cor.  iii.  1. 

Dec-ember  16. 

Waste  is  sin.  Many  of  the  children  and 
young  people  who  waste  food,  little  think  how 
much  sweat  and  toil  every  morsel  of  bread 
costs  those  who  earn  it ;  and  many  of  the  girls 
who  cook  great  batches  of  food,  and  throw- 
away  remnants  and  fragments  that  are  left, 
little  think  that  the  new^  dress  they  wanted  and 
cannot  have,  has  been  thrown  in  the  slop-pail 
by  their  own  hands;  and  that  food  enough  to 
save  the  life  of  some  hungry  mortal  has  been 
earned,  bought,  cooked,  and  then  thrown 
awav  bv  them. 


December  15. 


December  16. 

Geo.  Whitefield,  1714. 


December  17. 

AVheu  one  gets  his  hand  in  a  lion's  mouth,  it 
is  best  for  him  to  get  it  out  just  as  easily  as  possi- 
l)le.  A  man  who  will  wrong  j'ou,  will  be  likely 
to  abuse  you  if  you  resent  the  wrong.  A  man 
who  misrepresents  you,  will  slander  you  all  tho 
more  if  you  contradict  him;  and  a  man  who 
has  damaged  you  in  purse,  will  damage  you  in 
reputation  also,  if  his  interests  require  it. 


December  18. 

Beware  of  bad  books.  They  kill  time,  waste 
life,  enfeeble  the  mind,  corrupt  the  soul,  and 
propagate  evil  like  a  leprous  plague.  One  bad 
]>ook  may  ruin  a  thousand  souls.  The  deadli- 
est poison  cannot  compare  in  dire,  and  subtle, 
and  far-reaching  power  for  evil,  with  the  dis- 
tilled vileness  of  a  corrupting  mind,  embodied 
in  a  bad  book.  It  looks  innocent;  no  one 
would  suspect  its  character ;  but  from  the  pe- 
rusal of  its  pages  the  young  rise  up  with  stains 
upon  them  never  to  be  effaced,  and  go  forth  to 
enter  upon  sinfnl  ways  which  were  unknown  to 
them  before. 


Deceinber  17. 

John  G.  Whittier,  1807.         Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  17 
Ludwig  Beethoven,  composer,  1770. 


December  18. 

Charles  Wesley,  1708.    Baron  Karl  Maria  F.  E.  von  Weber,  17H6. 


December  19. 

If  a  mau  has  nothing  to  say,  the  sooner  he  is; 
done,  the  better.  To  lengthen  out  some  ser- 
mons would  be  like  lengthening  out  a  quart  of 
milk  by  the  addition  of  three  quarts  of  water. 
In  fact,  men  who  preach  fifteen  or  twenty  min- 
utes, not  infrequently  piece  out  their  sermons 
with  shreds  and  patches,  extracts  and  quota- 
tions, and  their  ^'beaten  gold/'  if  there  is  any 
gold,  is  so  thin  that  it  is  good  for  notliing  but 
pildino'. 


Deoember  20. 

The  rat  who  gnawed  a  file,  supposed  himself 
to  be  making  good  progress,  as  he  saw  the  pile 
of  white  chips  slowly  increasing  under  his  la- 
bors. But  when  he  found  he  had  used  his  teeth 
up,  it  put  a  different  face  on  the  operation. 

The  Bible  is  a  file  on  which  many  a  rat  has 
tried  his  teeth.  They  have  been  gnawing  at  it 
for  generations,  and  making  abundance  of 
chips, — but  where  are  they?  They  are  in  ob- 
livion, where  others  of  their  imitators  will  soon 
be  if  they  do  not  cease  to  make  war  against  the 
Word  of  God,  which  ^'liveth  and  abideth  for- 
ever.'' 


December  19. 

Kear  Ailuiiial  Wm.  Edw.  Parry,  Arctic  explorer,  1790. 
Horatiua  Bonar,  1880. 


December  20. 

Velt  Ludwig  vou  .Seckendorf,  statesman,  historian,  1626. 


Iguatius,  martyred,  107. 
385 


Dscember  21. 

So  long  as  there  is  life  there  will  be  growth, 
and  so  long  as  there  is  growth  there  will  be 
change,  and  a  necessity  for  restraint  and  correc- 
tion. No  matter  how  we  may  prune  a  tree,  so 
long  as  it  is  growing  there  is  liability  to  con- 
tinual alteration ;  and  the  only  way  to  have  it 
fixed,  and  permanent,  and  just  right,  is  to  kill 
it.  Mummies  never  make  any  mistakes.  No 
man  that  lives  gives  so  little  trouble  as  a  graven 
image,  or  is  so  proper,  and  elegant,  and  precise 
as  a  wax  figure. 


December  22. 

Some  men  can  drink  strong  drink  moderately  ; 
so  some  horses  might  run  away  with  a  wagon 
moderately, — that  is,  those  that  are  too  lazy  to  go 
more  than  five  miles  an  hour,  — but  would  that 
justify  a  blackguard  in  exploding  fire-crackers 
at  the  heels  of  a  race-horse  ?  Some  men  are  like 
a  race-horse,  and  that  which  moderately  excites 
a  sluggish  man,  starts  them  on  the  race  of  deatli 
with  whirlwind  speed. 


December  21. 

.Joliu  Kepler,  astronomer,' 1571. 

Leopold  von  Ranke,  prof,  eccles.  history,  179o. 

Benjamin  Disraeli  (Lord  Beaconsfield),  1804. 


Landing  of  the  Pil«^rims,  1620. 

December  22. 

Ann  Hasseltine  Judson,  first  wife  of  Adonlram  Jud.son,  1789. 


December  23. 

One  of  the  most  quiet  and  orderly  places  in 
this  world  is  a  graveyard ;  there  is  no  noise,  tu- 
mult, or  disturbance  there ;  and  next  to  it,  per- 
haps, we  may  place  a  backslidden,  formal 
Church.  Where  nothing  is  done,  there  is  no 
fear  of  anything  being  done  wrong.  Where 
there  is  no  action  at  all,  there  is  no  fear  of  over- 
action.  In  the  human  body  the  struggles  of 
disease  are  better  than  the  quietness  of  death. 
So  in  the  Church,  abnormal  action  may  in  some 
instances  be  preferable  to  absolute  inaction. 


December  24. 

There  are  limits  to  human  independence,  and 
it  is  frequently  the  case  that  * '  the  voice  of  the 
people,"  if  not  ''the  voice  of  God,"  is  yet  the 
voice  of  common  sense.  And  the  man  who  pro- 
poses to  defy  public  opinion  should  take  espe- 
cial care  to  be  sure  of  the  absolute  correctness 
of  his  position. 


December  23. 

Kobei-t  Barclay,  Quaker  apologist,  1048. 
Jean  Francois  Champollion,  1790. 


December  24. 

Benj.  Kusli,  M.D.,  siguer  of  Declaration  of  Independence,  lT4o. 
Matthew  Arnold,  1822. 


380 


Deoemter  25. 

It  sometimes  seems  as  if,  between  men  who 
mnnot  tell  the  truth,  and  men  who  do  not  wish 
to  do  it,  and  men  who  do  not  care  whether 
truth  is  told  or  not,  it  is  a  wonder  that  we  get 
as  much  truth  as  we  do  in  this  world.  It  is 
quite  proper  for  us  to  recollect  that,  if  we  are 
misrepresented,  we  fare  quite  as  well  as  many 
other  good  men  have  fared  before.  Perhaps  no 
one  was  ever  more  thoroughly  misrepresented 
than  the  Saviour;  and  it  is  enough  for  the  serv- 
ant to  be  as  his  Master. 


Deoe.^.ber  26. 

^  What  mighty  works  are  wrought  through 
prayer,  no  tongue  can  tell.  He  who  has  the  ear 
of  kings,  may,  in  an  unseen  manner,  manipu- 
late human  events ;  but  he  who  has  the  ear  of 
the  King  of  kings  may  sway  eternal  destinies. 
He  who  prays  in  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  worker  to- 
o-ether  with  God ;  and  he  who  can  claim  the  ear 
ot  an  eternal  King,  and  pour  his  petitions  from 
a  filial  heart,  may  be  more  influential  in  the  af- 
fairs of  men  than  monarchs  and  statesmen, 
than  courtiers  and  intricruers. 


December  25. 

Sir  Isaac  ^'ewtuii,  1G42.     Edw.  T.  Taylor  (Father Taylor),  17U3. 
Christmas  Evans,  Welch  preacher,  176G. 


December  26. 

Thomas  Gray,  poet,  1716. 


December  27. 

Christians  are  divided  by  essentials  and  non- 
essentials. The  only  way  for  them  to  unite  is 
to  hold  fast  the  essentials,  and  di'op  the  non- 
essentials. The  essentials  are  the  things  which 
Christ  has  commanded ;  the  non-essentials  are 
the  commandments,  and  teachings,  and  usages, 
of  men.  If  we  would  draw  the  line  here,  we 
should  grasp  a  clue  which  would  lead  us  out  of 
chaos  and  darkness  into  the  light  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

December  28. 

There  is  no  accounting  for  the  whims  and 
caprices  of  appetite.  Sheep  love  grass,  bees 
love  honey,  donkeys  love  thistles,  and  buzzards 
love  offal.  Mental  appetites  are  equally  varied 
and  unaccountable.  Good,  wholesome  truth 
has  little  or  no  attraction  for  some  people,  but 
they  take  to  a  lie  as  naturally  as  a  jackal  does 
to  a  carcass.  If  there  be  a  false  doctrine,  they 
imbibe  it;  if  there  be  an  absurd  theory,  they 
swallow  it ;  if  there  be  an  unscriptural  system, 
they  adopt  it ;  and  if  they  can  nose  out  some- 
thing that  smells  of  smut  and  scandal,  and 
then  whisper  or  publish  it  abroad  in  the  earth, 
they  are  in  their  clement. 

392 


December  27. 


December  28. 

Prof.  Thomas  Henderson,  astronomer-royal  for  Scotland,  I7PS. 
Alexander  Keith  Johnstone,  cjeo^rapher,  1804. 


3&S 


December  29. 

Tlic  unity  of  Christ's  church  is  the  object  of 
his  most  ardent  desires.  Five  times  in  that 
last  petition  which  he  offered  before  his  hour 
of  agony,  he  prayed  for  his  disciples  that  they 
might  all  be  one.  And  if  to  say,  '^I  am  of  Paul, 
and  I  of  x\pollos,''  was  an  evidence  of  carnality 
in  the  church  at  Corinth,  how  much  more  the 
contentions,  divisions,  names,  and  schisms 
which  to-day  afflict  the  church,  dishonor  the 
Lord,  and  lie  like  stumbling-blocks  in  the  path 
of  a  groping  and  misguided  world. 

December  30. 

God  says,  ''Repent.''  The  sinner  answers, 
'  ^  I  mean  to. '' — *  •  Believe.  *" — ' '  Yes,  I  intend  to.  ■ ' 
—  ** Prepare  to  meet  thy  God." — ''Such  is  my 
purpose.'' — But  ichenf  'MVhatsoever  thy  hand 
findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might.''  "Now  is 
the  accepted  time. "'  And  the  sinner  says :  ' '  No, 
not  now.'''  Here  is  the  fatal  decision.  God 
says :  ' '  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  Ms  voice,  harden 
not  your  hearts."  And  the  sinner  says:  ^'Go 
thy  way  for  this  time ;  when  I  have  a  conven- 
ient season  I  will  call  for  thee."  Thus  does 
God  invite,  beseech,  and  command,  and  thus 
do  men  hesitate,  and  delay,  till  all  is  lost. 

394 


December  29. 

Wm.  Euart  Gladstone,  1809,        Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  1814. 


December  30. 


DecemlDer  31. 

All  things  earthly  have  an  end.  Moments 
end,  hours  end,  days  end,  years  end,  lives  end, 
centuries  end,  this  age  shall  end;  and  whenthe 
end  is  come,  no  wealth,  no  power,  no  wisdom, 
can  bring  back  that  which  is  gone.  There  will 
be  a  last  Sabbath,  a  last  solemn  assembly,  a  last 
sermon,  a  last  exhortation,  a  last  entreaty,  a 
last  invitation,  a  last  warning,  a  last  appeal. 
There  will  be  a  last  struggle  with  conscience, 
and  a  last  decision,  a  last  refusal  to  hear  the 
gracious  call  of  God.  There  will  be  a  last  re- 
jection of  offered  mercy,  a  last  neglect  of  the 
great  salvation,  a  last  despising  of  the  riches  of 
God's  goodness,  a  last  resisting  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  a  last  trampling  under  foot  of  the  Son  of 
God,  a  last  smile  to  veil  the  anguish  of  a  bur- 
dened heart,  a  last  saying  '*Go  thy  way  for 
this  time." 

Men  will  not  know  the  last  opportunity  when 
it  comes,  nor  believe  it  is  the  last  till  it  is  gone; 
but 

**  There  is  a  line,  by  us  imseeii, 
That  crosses  every  path  ; 
The  hidden  boundary  between 
God's  patience  and  his  wrath.'' 

Reader,  to-day  may  be  your  last  day ;  '  ^  Be- 
hold, now  is  the  day  of  salvation!" 


December  31. 

Johann  Ga.spar  Spurzheim,  phrenologist.  1776. 


Another  Year. 

Beside  the  fruitless  tree  the  axe  was  lying, 

While  the  Great  Planter  looked  on  it  and  frowned ; 
"Vainly  I've  sought  for  fruit,"  I  heard  him  crying; 

*'  Cut  down  the  tree :  Why  cumbereth  it  the  ground? 
"Year  after  year,  in  the  autumnal  splendor. 

Other  trees  bear,  the  fields  with  sheaves  are  crowned. 
All  for  my  care  their  fruitful  homage  render, — 

This  lives  in  vain :  Why  cumbereth  it  the  ground?  ** 
Then  Mercy  spake,  and  plead  for  my  reprieving; 

Yearned  over  me  with  many  a  pitying  tear ; 
Loving  and  longing,  hoping  and  yet  grieving; 

Plead  for  my  life,  **  Oh,  wait  another  year." 
Fast  flew  that  year  of  sunshine,  joy,  and  beauty, 

Mercies  were  poured,  to  drench  the  soil  around; 
Love  called  for  love,  and  grace  constrained  to  duty, — 

Lord,  am  I  still  a  cumberer  of  the  ground? 
Saviour  all-pitying,  whose  divine  affection 

Yearns  still  above  the  fruitless  cumberers  here, 
While  Justice  dooms  us,  thou  art  our  protection; 

Let  Mercy  plead,  **0h,  wait  another  year." 


-^% 


Shall  We  Meet 

Beyond  the  Eiver? 


Shall  We  Meet? 

BY  H.  I..  HASTINGS. 

Author'* s  Complete  Edition, 

Shall  we  meet  beyond  the  river. 

Where  the  surges  cease  to  roll  ? 
AVhere,  in  all  the  bright  forever, 

Sorrow  ne'er  shall  press  the  soul  ? 
Shall  we  meet  with  those  departed, 

"Who  have  bowed  beneath  death's  wave? 
Shall  we  meet  the  holy  mjTiads, 

\Vho  are  ransomed  from  the  grave  ? 

Shall  xce  meet  ?   Shall  we  meet  ? 
Say,  Brother,  shall  we  meetf 

Shall  we  meet  in  glory's  morning, 

After  time's  dark,  gloomy  night? 
Shall  we  hail  its  radiant  dawning, 

Scattering  sorrow  with  its  light  ? 
Shall  we  meet  where  all  time's  shadows 

To  oblivion  flee  away  ? 
Shall  we  meet  amid  the  brightness 

Of  an  everlasting  day  ? 

Shall  w^e  meet  with  all  the  ransomed. 

When  our  pilgrimage  is  past  ? 
Shall  we  reach  that  blessed  mansion 

We  so  long  have  sought,  at  last  ? 
Shall  we  meet  beyond  the  desert. 

Far  beyond  the  weary  road  ? 
Shall  we  meet  in  joy  immortal — 

Shall  we  in  our  flesh  see  God? 

Shall  we  meet  in  that  blest  harbor. 

When  our  stormy  voyage  is  o'er? 
Shall  we  meet  and  cast  the  anchor 

By  the  fair  celestial  shore? 
Shall  we  rest  from  all  our  labors 

'Mid  the  swelling  of  the  tide? 
Shall  we  meet  and  rest  forever, 

By  our  blessed  Saviour's  side  ? 


SHALL    WE    MEL  I  : 

Shall  w«  meet  in  realms  of  glory. 

"With  the  ransomed  and  the  blest  ? 
Shall  we  meet  with  all  the  holy, 

When  they  enter  into  rest? 
Shall  we  meet  with  those  whose  brightness 

Shall  the  noonday  sun  outshine  ? 
Who  shall  bear  the  Saviour's  likeness 

In  its  majesty  divine  ? 

Shall  we  meet  with  many  a  loved  une 

That  was  torn  from  our  embrace  .' 
Shall  we  listen  to  their  voices, 

And  beliold  them  face  to  face  ? — 
All  the  cherished  and  the  loDged  fur, 

Those  whose  graves  are  moist  with  tears? 
Those  whose  absence  made  life  weary 

Through  the  dark  and  tedious  years  ? 

Shall  we  meet  those  buds  of  promise 

Blighted  by  death's  chilUng  hand  V  . 
Shall  we  see  their  fadeless  beauty 

Blooming  in  the  goodly  laud  ? 
Shall  our  hearts  no  more  lie  bleeding 

'Neath  the  strokes  of  sorrow's  rod  ? 
Shall  love's  bands  no  more  be  sundered, 

In  the  paradise  of  God  ? 

Shall  we  meet  with  those  invited 

To  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  ? 
Who  shall  then  put  on  their  glory, 

And  forget  their  earthly  shame  ? 
Shall  we  meet  the  shining  myriads 

Who  the  songs  of  glory  sing  ? 
Shall  our  voices  join  their  praises 

To  the  Everlasting  Iving  ? 

Shall  we  meet  with  Christ  our  Saviour, 

When  he  comes  to  claim  his  own  ? 
Shall  we  know  his  blessed  favor. 

And  sit  down  upon  his  throne  ? 
Will  he  bid  us  share  his  glory, 

Where  no  shame  shall  ever  be  ? 
Will  he  bid  u^  sing  his  praises, 

On  that  radiant  crv^tal  sea? 


SHALL    WE   MEET? 

Shall  we  meet  the  shining  angels 

Who  have  guarded  us  while  here  ? 
Shall  we  listen  to  their  welcomes, 

And  return  their  words  of  cheer? 
Shall  we  be  their  bright  companions, 

Far  beyond  this  land  of  tears? 
Shall  we  share  their  holy  raptures 

Through  the  lapse  of  endless  years? 

Shall  we  meet  in  yonder  city, 

Where  the  towers  of  crystal  shine, 
Where  the  walls  are  all  of  jasper, 

Built  by  workmanship  divine  ? 
Where  the  music  of  the  ransomed 

Rolls  in  harmony  around, 
And  creation  swells  the  chorus, 

With  its  sweet  melodious  sound  ? 

Shall  we  meet  by  life's  pure  river. 

Where  pellucid  waters  glide  ? 
Where  the  healing  leaves  and  flowers 

Deck  the  shores  on  either  side  ? 
Where  salvation's  blessed  harpings 

Float  in  holy -melody  ? 
Where  the  monthly  fruits  are  ripening 

On  life's  fair  immortal  tree  ? 

Shall  we  meet,  O  lonely  pilgrim, 

When  the  burden  we  lay  down  ? 
Shall  we  change  our  cross  of  anguish 

For  the  bright,  unfading  crown  ? 
Do  we  love  our  Lord's  appearing  ? 

Shall  we  gladly  see  his  face  ? 
Shall  it  beam  with  smiles  of  welcome? 

Shall  he  bring  us  endless  grace  ? 

Shall  we  meet,  0  weary  wanderer, 

Say,  oh,  will  you  meet  me  there, 
When  earth's  glory  shall  be  darkness, 

And  its  joy  shall  be  despair  ? 
When  before  the  throne  of  judgment 

We  shall  all  together  stand 
Will  you  pray  and  strive  to  meet  me 

With  the  blest  at  Christ's  right  hand  ? 


Publications  of  //.  L.  Hastings — Periodicals^ 


HRISTIAN. 


EDITED  BY    H.  L.  HASTINGS. 


A  larfire.  illustrated  16-p.  family,  religious,  temper- 
ance monthly,  comprising^  tour  distinct  4-p.  papers. 

Tlia  rhrisjfiQii*  ^°"*^'°^°&  Records  of  Providences,  An- 
III"  Vlll  IMlall.  swers  to  prayer.Facts,  Poetry, Music,  and 
Choice  reading  for  all  classes,  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor. 
TliA  ^ofumiarH  •     ^'^^  original  pictures  illustrating  the 
I  lie  lijClItgUalU.    evilsof  drunkenness  and  vice; 
TKa  I  rniArv  •  ^^  anti-infidel  paper,  devoted  to  the  defense 
1 11"  ill  lllvl  J  5  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  Scripture  evidences: 
TliA  tf^AminATi  PaahIa  •  Illustrated,  and  tilled  with  choic- 
ine  lOUlUlOIl  rCOpie  , est  popular  reading  for  ^l  persons. 
Printed  from  clear  type,  on  book  paper,  and  full  of  true  stories. 
Christian  teaching,  and  common  sense.     Sectarianism,  contro- 
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Terms,  One  Dollar  a  year,  in  Adyance. 

Six  Copies,  8>5  ;  Twenty  Copies ^  SI 2.    In  the  British, 
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day schools,   reading  rooms,  or  for  distribution,  or  as 
gifts,  60  cents  a  year.    Sent  three  months  /or  10  cts. 
Opinions  of  the  Press. 

*'An  excellent  Journal." — N.  Y.  Independent.  "  lu 
every  respect  excellent." — Sabbath  Recorder.  "  A  livmg, 
earnest,  fearless,  pungent,  and  faithful  religious  pa- 
per."— Balston  Journal.  *'  The  most  unsectarian  paper 
in  the  world." — Sharon  Mirror.  "  The  nicest  paper  of 
the  kind  we  have  seen." — Peehskill  Enterprise.  "A 
more  than  ordinarily  spiritual  paper." — Mission  Harvest. 
*'A  first-class  religious  and  family  paper." — Steuben 
Hepublican.  **We  know  of  no  better  temperance  pa- 
per."— Morning  Star.  "The  cheapest  and  most  deci- 
dedly pious  paper  in  the  land." — Sunday  Morning, 
Words    from    Workers. 

*'  My  husband  is  very  busy,  as  you  know,  but  he  takes 
the  time  to  look  through  your  paper;  something  he  does 
not  d«  to  others.  He  is  much  interested  in  the  paper 
and  wishes  it  more  and  more  success." — Mrs.  D.  L. 
Moody.  *'  I  like  The  CHRifiTiAN  for  its  uniform  sound- 
ness."— George  Mailer.  Dr.  John  Gumming^  of  Lon- 
don, said:  ''  An  excellent  paper;  I  wish  every  one  would 
take  it."  Mr.  C.  H.  Spurgeon  said,  in  1875,  *'Thk 
Christian  is  the  best  paper  that  comes  to  me." 

Boston'.  Mass.  :  H.  L.  HASTINGS.  47  Corxhili  . 
London  :  5.  Bausikb  is.  s^uns,  Limiicd,  \o  Paternoster  Row 


Publications  of  IL  L,  Hastings — Periodicals, 
THE  LITTLE  CHRISTIAN. 

EDITED  BY  H.   L.   HASTINGS. 

A  fresh,  live  paper  for  the  little  folks.  Its  numerous 
illustrations,  beautiful  appearance,  thoroughly  unsec- 
tarian  character,  and  low  price,  commend  it  to  all. 
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copies  to  one  address,  $1;  fifty  copies,  $8. 

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children,  is  not  so  easy  as  many  people  imagine.  It  is  a  pecul- 
iar gift;  and  it  seems  to  me,  after  looking  over  the  Little 
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little  folk  at  the  same  time.  The  spirit  of  the  paper  is  admira- 
ble."—J/ieo.Z.  aivler. 

'*  The  brightest  and  best  paper  for  the  price  in  the  country." 
— Ch  ristia7uObs€rv€r. 


THE  ANTI-INFIDEL  LlBRARY. 

EDITED  BY  H.   L.  HASTINGS. 

A  monthly  issue  of  live  pamphlets  on  Infidelity,  designed  to 
convince  skeptics,  instruct  Christians,  and  assist  ministers  in 
"putting  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."    $1.00.  per  year. 

1 .  The  Inspiration  of  the  Bible.      By  H,  L.  Hastings. 

Third  Hundred    Tliousand,  5  Cts 

2.  Egypt  in  History  and  Prophecy;  or,  Pharaoh 

Proclaiming  God.    Bv  Robt.  Pattebsox.    15  cts, 

3.  Infidel  Testimony   Concerning  the  Truth  of 

the  Bible.  By  H,  L.  Hastings.  10  cts. 

4.  The  Testimony  of  Christ  to  the  Truth  of  the 

Old  Testament.    By  Robt.Patteksox.      10  cts 

5.  The  Bible  Triumphant.  By  Mrs.  H.  T.  Reed.  25  cts. 

6.  Remarks  on  "Mistakes  of  Moses."  H.L.H.  5  cts. 

7.  Friendly  Hints  to  Candid  Inquirers.  H.L.H.  5  cts. 

8.  Corruptions  of  the  New  Testament.  H.L.H.  15  cts 

9.  Who  Made  the  New  Testament?  H.  L.  H.  5  cts. 
Errors  of  Evohi.i ion.  R,  Pattekson.  SI.  Containing: 

10.  Parti.  Scientific  Star-Building.  15  cts 

1 1.  Part  II.  Greological  Evolution.  15  cts 

12.  Part  III.  The  Origin  of  Life.  10  cts. 

13.  Part  IV.  Darwinism.  15  cts. 

14.  16,  16.   IxsPiBATioy    in    German,    yrench     and 

Swedish.  Each  5  cts. 

17.    Number  in  Nature.   By  Edward  White.     lO  cts. 

'  BosTox,  Mass:  H.  L.  HASTINGS,  47  Coejthill. 

London:  S.  BAOSTEftii  So>'6,I-.imited,  15  Paternoster  Row. 


Publications  of  II.   I.,   llasfimjs — Faith  Scries, 

THE  aUIDINQ  HAND  :  Providential  Direction, 
Illustrated  by  authentic  instances;  collected  by  H.  L. 
Hastings.    Crown  8vo.  382  pp.  $1.25 

*'  A  book  of  interest,  and  of  value.** — Chr.  Harvester. 

"A  very  interestinfj  volume." — Providence  Press. 

*'  A  valuable  collection.'' — Friends''  Review. 

'*  Calculated  to  do  great  good." — ^V.  E.  Jour.  Education. 

"  We  heartily  recommend  the  book." — Evan.  Messenger. 

"Is  intensely  interesting  and    inspiring    to    faith." — 

Methodist  Protestant. 

"As  incentives  to  trust  in  ProvidcTJce,  these  narra- 
tives are  unsurpassed  save  by  the   inspired  word." — 

The  Watchman. 

TALES  OF  TRUST :  Authentic  Accounts  of 
Providential  Assistance  and  deliverance.  By  H.  L. 
Hastings.    Crown  8vo,  cloth,  382  pp.  $1.25 

*' A  continual  feast." — Chr.    Union  and  Temp.  Mag. 
*' A  storehouse  of  facts." — Evangelical  Messenger, 
*'  Exceedingly  comforting." — Messiah's  Herald. 
**  How  many  men  and  women  in  this  trying  life  might 
be  greatly  helped  by  catching  up.  in  the  midst  of  their 
care  and  toil,  this  volume ;   for  its  pages  are  always  say- 
ing "  Be  of  good  courage ;  all  things  work  together  for 
good." — Pacific. 

EBENEZERS:  or  Records  of  Prevailing  Prayer. 

Prayers  for  rescue,  relief  and  blessing.  "Written  and 
selected  by  H.  L.  Hastings.  Cr.  8vo.  clotlu  $1.25 
"  Deserves  a  wide  circulation." — Itinerant. 
*'  Every  way  worthy  of  examination." — yormal  Teacher. 
'*We  welcome  every  volume  of  well  attested  answers 
to  prayer  like  this  one.'' — Sational  Baptist.      (Phila.) 

''Represents  evangelical  belief  with  much  earnest- 
ness."—^. S.  Times. 

PEBBLES  FROM    THE  PATH  OF  A  PILGRIM: 

Personal  reminiscences  of  answers  to  prayer  and  Prov- 
idential guidance  and  interposition.  By  Mrs.  H.  L. 
Hastings.  Crown  8vo.  cloth,  319  pp.  $1.25 

••  Will  do  good  to  its  readers." — Congregationalist. 
''  No  family  library  or  Sunday  school  should  be  with- 
out this  book." — Home  Guardian. 

BosTOV,  Mass  :  H.  L.  HASTINGS, 47  Corxhill. 

Li»iul«»n;   S.   HAtisrKK  X:  Sons,  Limited,  15  Paternoster  Row. 


Publications  of  H.  L.  Uastincjs — Home    Series, 

THE  FAMILY  CIRCLE;  Anecdotes  and  Inci- 
dents adapted  to  interest,  instruct,  and  profit  the 
family.  By  H.  L.  Hastings.  Cr.  Svo.  cloth.     $1.35 

"  We  commend  it  to  the  reader." — Heraldand  Presbyter. 

"  The  pieces  are  real  gems  of  thought." — Leeds  3Iercury, 
"Admirably   adapted  for    home  and  Sunday  read- 
ing."— Hereford  Times.  (Eng.) 

'  •  We  cannot  but  feel  thankful  that  the  author  has  so 

well  succeeded  in  bringing  these  'gems'  together.* — 

The  Weekly  Express. 
*'  Because  of  the  brevity  and  variety  of  the  contents, 

is  liable  to  win  a  more  permanent  place  than  a  series  of 

treatises  on  one  subject." — The  Interior. 

FIRESIDE    READINGS    FOR  HAPPY   HOMES  j 

Written  and  selected  by   H.  L.   Hastings.     Crown 

Svo.  cloth,  pp.  382.  $1.35 

"Earnest,  wholesome  and  Christian." — Lutheran. 
"  We  wish  it  largesales." — Epis.  Methodist.  (Baltimore.) 
"  An  admirable  collection." — Springfield  Union. 
"  Has  found  much  favor," — N.  Y.  Observer. 
*'  Sweet,  pleasant  and  profitable." — Chr.  Secretary. 

"A   budget  of  decidedly  good   fireside  reading." — 
Herald  and  Presbyter. 

"  Rich  with  instruction,  and  full  of  Christian  nurture, 
admonition,  and  inspiration." — JSational  Baptist. 

READINGS  FOR  LEISURE  MOMENTS;    A  coT- 

lection  of  miscellanies,  sensible,  devout  and  practical. 

By  H.  L.  Hastings.    Cr.  Svo.  clo.  pp.  382.      $1.35 
"  Much  homely,  practical  wisdom." — Chr.  Union.  (X.Y. ) 
"  Nothing  dull  in  a  single  figure." — Chr.  Union.  (Lond. ) 
'•  Fervently  evangelical  in  spirit." — Carlisle  Patriot,Eng. 
'"  One  of  those  blessed  books," — Home  Guardian. 
"Every  line  and  word  in  its  right  place." — The  Sword. 
"Thoroughly  good." — Chelsea  Record. 
"Keenly  pointed." — 3Iichigan  Christian  Advocate. 
"  Sure  to  be  blessed." — N.  Christian  Advocate. 

"  We  do  not  hesitate  to  give  it  warm  commendation." — 
3fethodist  Protestant.     (Baltimore,) 

"  We  wish  there  were  more  editors  who  possessed  the 
ability  to  write  such  articles." — Episcopal  Register. 

Boston-.  Mass:  H.  L.  HASTINGS,  47  Cok.vhill. 
Liindon  :  S.  Baostek  &  Sons,  Limited,  15  raturnoster  Row. 


1 


Publications  of  II.  L.  Hastings — Students'  Series. 

CRITICAL  GEEEK  &  ENGLISH  CONCORDANCE 

OF  THE  New  Testament.  Prepared  by  Charles 
F.  Hudson,  B.  A.,  under  the  direction  of  H.  L.  Has- 
tings, editor  of  The  Christian.  Revised  and  com- 
pleted by  Ezra  Abbot,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of 
New  Testament  Criticism  in  the  Divinity  School  of 
Harvard  University.  Crown  8vo.  pp.  532.  83.50 

IT  CONTAINS  IN  A  POCKET  VOLUME  : 

I.  References  to  all  places  where  every  Greek  word  in 
the  New  Testament  may  be  fonnd, — four  or  tive  con- 
stantly recurring  particles  excepted. 

II.  All  the  English  words  and  phrases  by  which  these 
Greek  words  are  rendered,  both  in  the  text  and  in  the 
mwgin  of  the  Authorised  Version. 

III.  The  various  readings  of  Gkiesbach,  Lachmann, 
and  Tregelles,  and  the  recently  discovered  but  an- 
cient SiNAiTic  Manuscript. 

IV.  Au  index  of  English  words,  by  which  persons 
entirely  unacquainted  with  Greek  can  find  the  original 
term  for  any  English  word  in  the  New  Testament. 

V.  Greenfield's  Greek-English  Lexicon  to  the  New 
Testament. 

OPINIONS  OF  THE  REVISERS. 

*' Of  special  value  for  the  work  of  revision.'' — Dr. 
PhilipSchaff.  '*  Of  the  greatest  use  to  the  revisers." — 
Dr.  J,  B.  Lightfoot.  *' An  invaluable  help  in  our  re- 
vision."— Dr.  B.  F.  Westcott.  *'I  know  nothing  of  the 
kind  so  complete." — Dr.  Jos.  Angus.  *' An  invaluable 
lielp  to  every  critical  student  of  the  Xew  Testament." — 
Dr.  H.  B.  ilackett.  "  Worthv  of  high  commendation." 
— Dr.  Timothy  Dwight.  *'  The  completest  and  most 
useful  work  of  the  kind." — Dr.  Samuel  yewth. 
OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

*•  Has  advantages  over  the  Englishman's  Greek  Con- 
cordance . ' '  — Nation al  Bapt ist. 

••  For  those  traveling  about,  its  value  is  very  great.''  — 
<^hristian  Worker. 

"  Very  valuable  for  the  reader  who  only  understands 
English." — Christian  Banner. 

•'A  thoroughly  prepared  assistance. ''-5o«/o?i  Recorder. 

*•  Of  rare  accui-acy."— rA€  Xation. 

Boston,  Mass.:  H.  L.  HASTINGS.  47  Coknhh.i 

Ki'iidon  :  S.  B.vus'  lk  &  s>ons,  Liinitod,  L"i  Paternoster   Row. 


Puhlications  of  H.  L.  Hastings — Studefits*  Series. 
THE  EEIGN  OP  CHRIST  ON  EARTH:   or,  the 

Voice  of  the  Church  in  all  Ages,  concerning  the  Com- 
ing and  Kingdom  of  the  Redeemer,  with  biographical 
notices,  and  extracts  from  the  writings  of  more  than 
five  hundred  of  the  most  eminent  preachers  and  writ- 
ers of  the  Christian  Church.  By  Daniel  T.  Tayloi;; 
edited,  with  an  elaborate  Preface,  by  H.  L.  Hastings. 
Crown  8v'o.  600  pp.     Eleventh  Thousand.  SI. 25 

"  I  like  it  and  think  it  fitted  to  be  useful." — H.  Bonar. 

'•  Eminently  fitted  to  disarm  prejudice." — John  Cum- 
mings,  D.  D.  (London.) 

"''  We  know  nothing  like  it  for  fullness,  accuracy  and 
power  of  argument  in  favor  of  the  pre-millennial  appear- 
ing of  our  Lord  from  heaven." — National  Baptist. 

"  Whatever  comes  from  the  consecrated  heart  and  mind 
of  this  Christian  editor  (Mr.  Hastings),  we  think  en- 
titled to  careful  attention." — Contributor, 

"A  most  valuable  and  interesting  book;  we  strongly 
recommend  it. — Christian  Herald, 

"'Xothing  could  be  better.  ...  A  perfect  thesaurus. 
....  We  know  of  nothing  so  complete  on  this  impor- 
tant subject."— jTAe  Watchword. 

'*  We  see  no  reason  why  this  should  not  take  the  posi- 
tion of  an  authoritv  on  this  view  of  the  second  coming." 
—  r.  M.  C.  A.  Watch  man. 

THE  GREAT  CONTROVERSY  between  God  and 

Man:  Its  origin,  progress,  and  end.  A  sketch  of  the 
course  of  human  history  in  the  light  of  Divine  Reve- 
lation. By  H.  L.  Hastings.  Crown  8vo.  Cloth, 
cheap  edition.  Eighth  Thousand  (in  press).  75  ct.«i. 
''Clearly  A\Titten,  true  to  Scriptui'e,  and  calculated  to 
be  very  useful." — The  Rainbow. 

THE  BIBLE  TRIUMPHANT;  A  Reply  to  a  work 

entitled  "144  Self-Conrradictions  of  the  Bible."  By 
Mrs.  H.  V.  Reed.  With  an  Appendix,  containing  In- 
fidel Testimorty  to  the  Truth  of  the  Bible,  by  H.  L. 
Hastings.    Crown  8vo.  cloth.  75  cts. 

BosTox,  Mass.  :  H.  L.  HASTINGS,  47  Cokxhill. 
London:  S.  Bagstek  &   Soxs,  Limited,  l'»  Paternoster  Row. 


Vuhlications  of  11.  L.  HaMings — Juveniles, 
TWO  HUNDRED   GATHERED   GEMS   of   Song 

and  Story.  Written  and  srlected  l>y  H.  L.  Has- 
tings. Square  Kuno.  pp.  222.  75  cts. 
'*  Beautiful." — Troy  DaiJij  Times. 
*'  Earnest  and  evangelical." — Christian  Secretary. 
"  ^Exceedingly  attractive.'* — Chard  and  Jhninster News, 
**  The  Eagle  advises  parents  to  call  for  and  examine  it." 
Grand  Hapids  Eagle. 

''A  book  we  should  think  any  boy  or  girl  would  be 
glad  to  get  and  read." — Morning  Star. 

*' You  can  hardly  find  a  neater,  more  acceptable,  or 
more  useful  present  for  your  boy  or  girl.  We  shall  take 
our  copy  home,  and  read  it  to  the  boys,  and  we  ire- 
commend  all  who  have  children  to  do  the  same." — 
Indiana  Farmer. 

THE  BABE   OF    BETHLEHEM.     A    Children's 

Khyme   of  the   Oldt-n   Time.     By   H.    L.    Ha.stjngs. 

Revised    and    enlarged   edition,     in    paper     boards, 

crown  8vo,  25  cents;  cloth,  40   cts. 

*' Altogether  a  charming  thing.'' — The  Rainbow. 
"  Most  interesting.'' — Coventry  Times. 

"The  very  best  child's  book  I  know  of.  1  have  or- 
dered thirty-three  copies  to  give  away  to  mv  little 
friends."— i>.  T.  Taylor. 

A  NEW  LEAP,  and  What  Was   on  It :   with 

other  Stories  and  Bible  Picture  Lessons,  illustrated 
with  more  than  thirty  pictures.  By  Mrs.  Marie  L. 
Seymour.        Illuminated  board  covers.        20  cts. 

THE  UGLY  GliNT.  By  J.  K.  Hastings.  Ilhis- 

trated  with  27  pictures.  Suitable  for  any  boy  who 
tfiinks  a  cigar  will  make  a  man  of  him.  20  cts« 

"  Send  for  it  and  give  it  to  the  boys." — Ind.  Farmer. 
"  "Well  adapted  to  interest  and  happily  impress  the 

minds  of  children." — Morning  Star. 

HOW  THE  BABY  WAS  SAVED,  and  of^Qx  Sto- 
ries. By  J.  K.  Hastings.  23  illustrations.  20  cts. 
A  story  of  a  baby  boy  and  his  little  brother  asleep  in 

a  burning  room,  who  were  saved  unharmed. 

BosTOX.  Mass  :  H.  L.  HASTINGS,  47  Cornhill. 
London  :  S,  Bagsteb  &  Soxs,  Limited,  15  Paternoster  Row. 


J  uhli cations  of  H.  L.  Hastings — Miscellaneous. 
THE  TESTIMONY  OF  HISTORY  to  the  Truth  of 

Scriptures;  or  Historical  Illustrations  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. Gathered  fiom  Ancient  Records,  Monu- 
ments and  Inscriptions,  bv  Rev.  Geo.  Rawlinson,  M.  A. ; 
with  additions  by  Prof.  H.  B.  Hackett,  D.D.,  LL.D. 
Preface  by  H.  L.  Hasti^^gs.  Paper  50  cts.  CI.  75  cts. 

THE  HASTDTaS  BIRTHDAY  BOOK.  Containing 
pithy  selections  from  the  writings  of  the  editor  of  The 
Christian  for  every  day  in  the  year,  with  blanks  for 
autographs,  and  a  heliotype  portrait  of  Mr.  Hastings. 
Compiled  by  J.  H.  Tewksbury.  An  elegant  presen- 
tation volume.    400  pages.     Beveled  cloth.      SI. 00 

HOME,  MARRIAaE,  AND  FAMILY  RELATIONS 

in  the  Light  of  Scripture.  By  James  Inglis,  with  a 
preface  and  poems  by  H.  L.  Hastings.  8vo.  Clo.  60  cts. 

ERRORS  OF  EVOLUTION,  bv  Robert  Patter- 
son, D.D.    Cloth.  ^  $1.00 

CONSECRATION-*'!  am  the  Lord's  ;"  a  beau- 
tiful little  devotional  book  by  H.  L.  HASTI^'GS. 
Small  32mo.  daintily  bound  in  cloth,  with  attractive 
cover.  35  cents. 

SEED  TIME  AND  HARVEST  ;  or  Sow  Well  and 
Reap  Well.  A  book  for  the  young.  By  W.  K.  Twee- 
die,  D.D.,  with  a  preface  by  H.  L.  Hastings.  Cloth. 
248  pp.  75  cts. 

A  LAMP  TO  THE  PATH;  or  The  Word  of  God 

in  the  Heart,  the  Home,  the  Workshop,  and  the  Mar- 
ket-place. By  W.  K.  Tweedie,  with  introduction  by 
H.  L.  Hastings.     Cloth.  240  pp.  75  cts. 

GLAD    TIDINGS;    or  The  Gospel   of    Peace. 

Daily  Meditations  for  Christian  Disciples.  By  W.  K. 
Tweedie,  D.D.,  with  a  preface  by  H.  L.  Hastings. 
Cloth.  275  pp.  75  cts. 

BIBLE  RHYMES  and  Bible  Lessons,  for  Sunday 

Schools  and  Families.  By  Anna  Bell  and  H.  L.  Has- 
tings.   80  pp.  16mo.  10  cts. 

Boston,  Mass:  XL  L.  HASTINGS,  47  Corxhill. 
London :  S.  Baoster  &  Sons,  Limited,  15  Paternoster  Row. 


Publications  of  H,  L,  Hastings— Tracfa, 

PRACTICAL  TRACTS.    60  cts.  a  pound. 

One  Thinff.   8  pa^es.    AVill  all  Men  bf  Saved  ?  24  pages, 
.fudson's  Letter  on  Dress.    The  Angel's  Message.  IG  pp. 
Profitable  Business.  16  pp.  The  INIlglity  Motive.  16  pp. 
A  Primitive  Missionary  Church.     16  pp. 
Consecration — "  I  am  the  Lord's."     16  pages. 
Conformity  to  the  Will  of  God,     4  pages. 
Say,  Brother,  Shall  We  Meet?     2  pp. 
Say  Sister,  Shall  We  Meet  ?    2  pp. 

EARNEST  QUESTIONS.  4  pp.    60  ots.  a  pound, 

1  Are  you  a  Christian  ?  2  Why  not  Now  ',' 

3  Are  you  Pardoned  ?  4  Are  you  Safe  ? 
5  Are  you  Saved  ?                        6  Do  you  Pray  ? 

OLIVE  LEAVES.    4  pp.    60  cts.  a  pound. 

1  Love  One  Another.  2  One  Resting  Place.  3  My  Friend. 

4  Abundant  Grjice.     5  Wondi  ous  Love.     6  Go  in  Peace. 
7  Living  Water.    8  The  Banner.    9  The  Blood  of  Christ. 

ENVELOPE  TRACTS.    80  cts.  a  pound. 

1  The  Little  Grave.  8  pp.  2  My  Friend.  8  pp. 

3  Say,  Brother,  Shall  We  Meet?  4  pp. 

4  Say,  Sister,  Shall  We  Meet?  4  pp. 

5  Our    Little  Ones  Who  Sleep.     16  pp. 

*'  Shall  We  ^leet  Beyond  the  Ptiver?  "  with  catalogue 
of  publications,  16  pp.,  30  cts.  per  100. 

TALKS  TO  YOUNG  MEN.    80  cts.  a  pound. 

1  Sowing  Wild  Oats.  2  Sold  Cheap. 

3  A  Mess  of  Pottage.  4  Don't  be  a  Tool. 

ANTI-TOBACCO  AND  TEMPERANCE  TRACTS. 

By  George  Trask.    60  cents  a  pound. 
Eighty-eight  kinds.     A  sample  set,  paper  bound,  40  cts. 

NUTS  FOR  SKEPTICS  TO  CRACK. 

2  pages.     60  cts.  a  pound. 
1  The  Skeptical  Shoemaker.      2  A  Healthy  Religion. 
3  Infidelity  in  a  Timber  Camp.  4  Nature  and  God. 
5  The  Old  Woman's  Question. 

ASSORTED  TRACTS.    1000  Pages  for  $1. 


Ix>ndon 


»osToy,  Mass.:  H.  L.  HASTIXGS,  47  Corxhill. 

m  :  S.  Bagster  &  Sons,  Limited,  15  Paternoster  Row. 


The  Soeiptural  Tract  Kepository 

Was  established  in  1865,  with  a  view  to  the  publication 
and  distribution  of  earnest,  practical,  Scriptural 

Tracts,  PampMets,  Books,  and  Periodicals, 

Entirely  separated  from  sectarian  control,  this  en- 
terprise was  originated  in  simple  reliance  upon  the 
promises  and  providence  of  God,  in  the  hope  that  sinners 
might  be  saved,  and  believers  edified,  through  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  words  of  life.  The  special  necessities 
of  ministers,  Bible  students,  believers,  skeptics,  in- 
quirers, aged  persons,  little  children,  seamen,  inmates 
of  hospitals,  prisons,  etc..  have  been  considered,  and 
publications  prepared  to  meet  their  special  needs. 

Though  the  entire  establishment  was  burned  in  the 
Boston  fire,  November,  1872,  the  work  has  gone  on, 
until  about  three  hundred  tons  of  earnest,  Scriptural, 
evangelical  literature  have  been  issued,  besides  large 
quantities  of  Bibles  and  religious  books  purchased  from 
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work  are  applied  according  to  the  wisdom  given,  and 
the  existing  necessities. 

A  large  stock  of  Sunday-School  Library  books,  Gospel 
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books  of  all  kinds  for  young  and  old,  constantly  on 
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Also,  English  Reference  Bibles,  Bagster*s  Bibles, 
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In  the  tract  department  we  have  a  variety  of  tracts 
for  the  unsaved,  as  well  as  for  believers  ,•  numerous 
tracts  devoted  to  the  defense  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the 
refutation  of  infidel  theories;  anti-tobacco  and  temper- 
ance tracts:  envelope  tracts,  leaflets,  etc.  Price  of  all 
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cts.  per  pound.     Catalogues  furnished  on  application. 

Address  orders,  donations,  and  remittances, 

H.  L.   HASTINGS, 

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